Best friends died holding hands in horror crash on way to school formal
Two teenage best friends died while 'holding hands' in a horror crash on the way to their school formal after the driver ignored pleas to slow down.
Kiea McCann, 17 and Dlava Mohamed, 16, were being driven to prom by 61-year-old Anthony McGinn when the tragedy unfolded.
The driver had been speeding on his way to the annual school event when he lost control of his BMW and smashed into a tree at 120km/ph, The Sun reports.
Both girls tragically died side-by-side following the horror collision in County Monaghan, Ireland, in July 2023.
Dlava's sister Avin, who had also been travelling in the car at the time, was injured.
McGinn has now pleaded guilty to causing the girls' deaths by dangerous driving and causing Avin serious bodily harm.
In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, Kiea's mum Teresa told how she 'trusted' McGinn to take her daughter to the leaver's ball.
She said: 'When we got to the scene, Kiea was already gone. Her dad tried CPR on her. Nothing would bring her back.
'Kiea and her best friend were robbed of their lives. They were put side-by-side holding hands on the grass as me and my husband lay beside them.'
Dlava's sister told how she feels guilty over the crash as she invited the teen to the dance with her.
She said she did not learn about the pair's death for months due to her own injuries after 'everything went black' in the crash.
Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court was told family friend McGinn had picked up the group from a pub in the town before heading to the ball.
Front seat passenger Oisin Clerkin had asked McGinn to 'slow down' but the driver did not respond, The Sun reports.
Oisin later told police: 'He was driving really fast and it scared me.
'None of the girls said anything. Kiea looked scared. I said 'Goodbye' to Kiea and I woke up in hospital.'
The court was shown harrowing footage of Kiea and Dlava's final moments before McGinn collided with the tree.
He later told police he had no idea what speed he was going at before the crash.
The court heard McGinn was travelling at more than 90mph (145km/ph) in a 50mph (80km/ph) zone and hit the tree at 75mph (120km/ph).
This prompted Kiea's dad Frankie to yell out in court: 'I'll never forget you, you f***ing b*****d.'
Breffni Gordon, defending, said McGinn had apologised to the victims' families and was remorseful.
He will be sentenced on May 14.
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