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The Journal
21-05-2025
- The Journal
'There is no moving on': Parents of Kiea McCann recount night of Monaghan debs crash
Frankie McCann, whose daughter Kiea was killed in a crash alongside her friend Dlava Mohammed on the way to their Debs in 2023, tells @MiriamOCal about arriving to the scene of the crash. WATCH: @rtenews | #rtept — RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) May 20, 2025 THE PARENTS OF Kiea McCann, one of two teenage girls killed in a collision on their way to a debs in Co Monaghan in 2023, have said that there is 'no moving on' from her death. Kiea (17) and her best friend Dlava Mohammed (16) were killed when the car they were travelling in struck a tree at Legnakelly in Clones, Co Monaghan on 31 July 2023. The driver of the car, Anthony McGinn, was handed a seven-year jail sentence last week after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of Kiea and Dlava. According to an extensive forensic report, McGinn's average speed between Clones and the scene of the collision near the New Line junction was calculated to 138.85 km/h. The speed limit on that road is 80 km/h. In an interview with RTÉ's Prime Time this evening, Frankie and Teresa McCann described Kiea and Dlava as 'inseparable' and 'more sisters than friends'. Recounting the crash, Frankie said that McGinn was 'a so-called friend of mine' and had offered to drive the girls to their debs. He said he told them he would get them there safe and they trusted him. He said that when he and Teresa arrived at the scene of the crash, he started doing chest compressions on Kiea before the emergency services arrived, when he helped to cut the doors off the car. 'Then it was just a rush job jumping from my own daughter to Dlava. You were just trying basically to save one to get to the other. It wasn't that you had a choice to do it. It was something you had to do,' he said. When it became clear that there was nothing more they could do, Frankie said he gave his daughter the last rites with rosary beads 'because there was no one else there to do it'. 'You kind of hope if there is something after life, they would know that you were with them. They would know that they were loved, because my daughter knew she was loved,' he said. Kiea McCann (left) and Dlava Mohammed (right) died in the crash in Monaghan on their way to a debs ball. 'You remember the day she was born, when you're the first to hold her. Then you're the last to hold her going out of the world. That's what you live with. That's the consequences of people not taking care of what they're doing.' 'They begged for their lives' Before sentence was handed down, Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court heard that Dlava's sister Avin, who suffered life-changing injuries in the incident, asked McGinn to slow down multiple times before the collision. Advertisement 'They begged for their lives. He knew that. He heard them asking for him to slow down. He could have slow down at any time on that road. Any part of that road, he could have slowed down. He chose not to,' Teresa said. They said they did not believe the seven-year sentence that McGinn received was fair. 'In my eyes and in her mother's eyes, what we seen on the night, if the DPP or the judge or somebody had to go through all that trauma that we went through and seen it, it would be a different story,' Frankie said. 'Why not turn around and give five years for my daughter, give five years for Dlava, two years for Avin? That's 12 years that a judge could have gave, consecutive years. He's getting three meals a day. He's getting visits. If me and her want to visit our daughter, it's a graveyard. Speak to a stone. Teresa said: 'People think that because [McGinn] got a seven year sentence, you can move on. There is no moving on. There is no move on. Not for me anyway, definitely not for me.' Frankie said Kiea wanted to be a social care worker. 'She wanted to go on to college, finish it so she could help people. What is she now? She's just another road victim. She's somebody that'll never be known as Kiea.' 'Reset of road safety' Speaking after the interview, Minister of State at the Department of Transport Sean Canney offered his sincere condolences to the McCann family. He said a 'country-wide reset of road safety' was needed, echoing comments Garda Commissioner Drew Harris made earlier this month. Canney said he intended to act on legislation to reduce speed limits on Irish roads. 'We need to make sure that we have active engagement with young people before they take up driving, to educate them on how important it is to show respect to the car that they will have control,' he said. 'I think it's also important that we look at how we're actually carrying out detections and our monitoring of speed on our roads.' Asked about the Department of Transport's plans to reform the Road Safety Authority , Canney said he had engaged with the RSA. 'Hopefully we'll be bringing in some proposals in the coming months to make sure that we have a more efficient and a more effective Road Safety Authority,' he said. He also said he believed it is realistic that fatalities on Irish roads will be dramatically reduced by 2030 and eliminated by 2050. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Dublin Live
14-05-2025
- Dublin Live
Driver in horror crash that killed debs teens jailed for seven years
A man who admitted dangerous driving causing the deaths of two teens who were on their way to their debs has been jailed for seven years. Anthony McGinn (61) of Drumloo, Newbliss, Co Monaghan, previously pleaded guilty over an incident in which he drove almost twice the speed limit and struck a tree at Legnakelly, Co Monaghan, on July 31, 2023. The horrific crash claimed the lives of Kiea McCann (17) and her 16-year-old best friend Dlava Mohammed - who were on their way to their debs when the tragedy occurred. McGinn also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm in the case of Dlava Mohammed's sister, Avin, who was critically injured but survived the incident. Judge John Aylmer handed down a headline sentence of nine years at Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court this morning with the final two years suspended in full. Judge Aylmer also suspended McGinn from driving for 15 years. McGinn was placed in a 'position of trust' to drive the teens to the Debs ball in Monaghan Town that evening, Monaghan Circuit Court previously heard. However, after travelling at 'excessive speeds' of 151 km/h in an 80 km/h zone, on a wet road, the white BMW skidded and crashed into a tree on a section of the N54 at Legnakelly near Clones, killing Keia and Dlava and seriously injuring Dlava's sister, Avin. Last week, distressing scenes unfolded at Monaghan Circuit Court during the sentencing hearing as family and friends of Kiea and Dlava saw their final moments when the speeding car skidded and crashed into the tree. Dashcam footage from a vehicle travelling behind McGinn's white BMW showed the car travelling at speed before skidding to the other side of the road and crashing into a tree. Distraught family and friends let out gasps and became visibly upset and left the courtroom for a time. Inspector Ann-Marie Lardner told the court 'considerable speed' caused the white BMW to crash when McGinn drove at speeds of 151 km/h in an 80 km/h zone before the car skidded on a wet road and into a tree on the opposite site of the road at an impact speed of 121.5 km/h. The court also heard McGinn was 'put in a position of trust' to drive the teenagers to their Debs Ball in Monaghan Town that evening in the BMW he recently purchased from his son-in-law. Following the crash, a nurse came on the scene, along with Kiea's family members. Kiea and Dlava were pronounced dead at the scene while Avin, the front seat passenger, Oisin Clerkin and McGinn were brought to hospital. Inspector Lardner said McGinn was arrested in December 2023. In a memo of interviews, he said he didn't remember overtaking a vehicle and didn't know if he was speeding. When the dashcam was shown to him by Inspector Lardner, McGinn said: "I wouldn't have a clue how fast I was going. Jesus, I have no answer. I see my car sliding. I don't know what speed I was doing," McGinn said and admitted he knew the speed was 80 km/h. At that point, there was disruption in court when members of Kiea's family became emotional and Kiea's dad Frankie shouted in anger: "If this man won't send you down. I'll never forget you, you fu**ing b**tard." In a statement to Gardaí, front seat passenger Oisin Clerkin said "All I know is he was speeding and playing music. I told him to slow down. He didn't reply. 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." In victim impact statements read out by Inspector Lardner from family members, Dlava's dad Mohammed said his daughter was 'a piece of his heart' and he will carry the pain of her loss for the rest of his life. He also said he lost a part of all of children that day and he watches his wife wake up everyday with a broken heart. He said he thought when they came to Ireland from war-torn Syria they could build their dreams "but Dlava's dreams are now buried with her". "I want him to become a lesson, an example. I want the harshest punishment. I want justice, not revenge," Mr Mohammed said. Dlava's sister Avin - who suffered severe injuries in the crash - said the crash changed her life forever. "My sister came with me as I had no-one else to come. Anthony began speeding. I remember I got angry and told him to stop. Then everything went black." She said for months she didn't know her sister Dlava and friend Kiea had died. "My family couldn't tell me. It broke me. I lost my sister and best friend. I had to build my entire life from scratch and I will never be whole again. I am carrying the guilt I cannot shake because I asked my sister to come along. If only I went alone." Kiea's dad Frankie - who went to the scene of the crash and tried to revive Kiea and Dlava said Kiea was a "bright shining star, a gift from God," with dreams of becoming a social worker. "She will never know her first love, get married or have a child of her own," Frankie said, breaking down in tears. She was more than the girl killed in the Debs crash. It's a death sentence for my family. My wife and kids are broken. This isn't a nightmare, it's life-long." Addressing McGinn, Frankie said: "Because of a decision you made, you took our daughter from our lives and our hearts." In her statement, Kiea's mother Teresa said she "trusted" McGinn to "take my child safe" to the Debs ball. "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." Theresa said Kiea's 18th birthday present was her headstone while what would have been her first day at college was her Month's Mind. "All we have now is memories and a headstone with her photograph to look at," said Theresa in her Victim Impact Statement. Counsel for McGinn, Breffni Gordon, said in mitigation McGinn entered an early guilty plea, was very seriously injured, expressed genuine remorse and formally apologised to all the families and friends of Kiea and Dlava. He had to endure the social stigma, lost his job and income and lost his relationship with his wife and three children. "It has had a catastrophic effect on him too." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Extra.ie
14-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Man jailed for dangerous driving causing deaths of teens on way to Debs as mum says 'no justice'
Anthony McGinn, 61, from Drumloo, Newbliss, Co Monaghan, has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of two teenagers. Kiea McCann, 17, and Dlava Mohamed, 16, died after the car they were travelling in left the road and crashed into a tree in the Legnakeely area on July 31, 2023 while on their way to a debs ball. At Monaghan Courthouse on Wednesday, McGinn was also disqualified from driving for a period of 15 years. Kiea McCann and Dlava Mohamed were best friends. Kiea and Dlava had been travelling to a ball to mark the end of their school year, at the Western Arms Hotel in Monaghan town. Anthony McGinn, 60, who was behind the wheel, had been charged with dangerous driving causing the deaths of the teenagers. He was also charged with dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to Dlava's sister, Avin, on the same occasion. Anthony McGinn at Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court, Co Monaghan. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire McGinn entered a guilty plea to both charges at Monaghan Circuit Court back in January. Speaking after the sentencing, Kiea's mother Teresa McCann said: 'There is no justice in this. My child's life is gone and never coming back.' Inspector Ann Marie Lardner said gardai support the families 'in their suffering'. 'Kiea and Dlava were looking forward to celebrating their Debs on the night of the 31st of July, 2023 – they had their entire lives and bright futures in front of them. They were killed in a devastating road traffic collision and never came home.' Speaking after the sentencing, Kiea's mother Teresa McCann said: 'There is no justice in this. My child's life is gone and never coming back.' Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire/PA Images Ms Lardner said gardai stand 'united in grief' with the families following the recent death of Garda Kevin Flatley, from the roads policing unit, who was struck by a high-powered motorcycle. She said: 'Garda Kevin Flatley went to work last Sunday, an ordinary day, he never came home. They are just three of the 418 killed in our roads since the start of 2023. 'An Garda Siochana and all our road safety partners continuously repeat and repeat and repeat: Speeding kills. 'Kiea and Dlava were killed because of excessive speed. Kevin was on duty detecting and preventing speeding on our roads when he was killed.' She added: 'As a society, Ireland needs to reset in our collective attitude towards road safety. As a society, we need to slow down. As a society, we need to have a conversation with those who we know drive too fast, either in excess of the speed limit or too fast for the road conditions. 'The only people who can drive slower are drivers. But everybody can influence a driver. Slow down, make our roads safer. Get home safe to your families every day.' The then-taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, had offered his condolences to both families in the wake of the crash. He said at the time: 'The debs is one of the special occasions in Irish lives, it is a rite of passage that marks the transition from being a schoolchild to being a young adult. 'It is a time filled with opportunity and boundless hope – for two young lives to be cut short in such an untimely way and tragic manner has gripped the nation.'
Belfast Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Man jailed for seven years after crash which killed two teenagers
©Press Association A man has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of two teenagers. Anthony McGinn, 61, from Drumloo, Newbliss, Co Monaghan, was sentenced on Wednesday. Kiea McCann, 17, and Dlava Mohamed, 16, died in the crash on July 31, 2023. The girls, who were being driven to their Debs ball when they died, had been close friends since Dlava's family arrived in Clones as part of a resettlement programme for Syrians. Dlava's sister Avin was also injured in the crash. Speaking after the sentencing at Monaghan Courthouse on Wednesday, Kiea's mother Teresa McCann said: 'There is no justice in this. My child's life is gone and never coming back.' Inspector Ann Marie Lardner said gardai support the families 'in their suffering'. 'Kiea and Dlava were looking forward to celebrating their Debs on the night of the 31st of July, 2023 – they had their entire lives and bright futures in front of them. 'They were killed in a devastating road traffic collision and never came home.' Ms Lardner said gardai stand 'united in grief' with the families following the recent death of Garda Kevin Flatley, from the roads policing unit, who was struck by a high-powered motorcycle. She said: 'Garda Kevin Flatley went to work last Sunday, an ordinary day, he never came home. 'They are just three of the 418 killed in our roads since the start of 2023. 'An Garda Siochana and all our road safety partners continuously repeat and repeat and repeat: Speeding kills. 'Kiea and Dlava were killed because of excessive speed. Kevin was on duty detecting and preventing speeding on our roads when he was killed.' She added: 'As a society, Ireland needs to reset in our collective attitude towards road safety. As a society, we need to slow down. As a society, we need to have a conversation with those who we know drive too fast, either in excess of the speed limit or too fast for the road conditions. 'The only people who can drive slower are drivers. But everybody can influence a driver. Slow down, make our roads safer. 'Get home safe to your families every day.' During the sentencing hearing, Judge John Aylmer said he was considering the charges in relation to the two deaths and the dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to Avin to be in the same act of driving. In handing down the sentence, Mr Aylmer said he had to consider where the offence fell on the scale of offending by examining aggravating and mitigating circumstances. He said the aggravating circumstances of the incident were that McGinn was travelling at almost twice the speed limit in an 80km/h zone, with evidence establishing he was travelling at up to 151km/h on the stretch of road. Mr Aylmer said McGinn had also 'ignored the pleas – and somewhat angry pleas – to desist from two of the frightened young passengers', referring to Avin and another passenger – Oisin Clerkin – who sustained less serious injuries in the crash. He said the road was wet which made the speeding even more dangerous. Mr Aylmer noted McGinn had been a friend of Kiea's father at the time and had 'committed an extraordinary breach of trust' which had been placed in to drive the young people to debs. He said the 'devastating impact' of his actions was the loss of life and the life-altering injuries suffered by Avin. He said the court had heard 'harrowing victim-impact statements'. Mr Aylmer said representations for McGinn had pointed out he never had any intention to injure anyone, but the judge added he had a 'very determined' intention to drive at a 'grossly excessive speed', having a 'reckless disregard' for the potential of death or serious injury to arise. He said this put the offending at the upper end of severity, but the judge said other aggravating factors which often appear in these cases were not present. He said there was no question of consumption of drugs or alcohol, or that the car was in disrepair. This resulted in a headline sentence of nine years on each count, before mitigating factors reduced the sentence. In mitigation, the judge said McGinn had no previous convictions nor any other charge pending. He said the driver was fully co-operative with the investigation to the extent that he could be given his apparently genuine 'little recollection of events' having suffered very severe injuries himself. McGinn spent a number of months in a coma after the crash, the court heard. The judge said he had entered a very early plea of guilty but added that was in the face of an 'overwhelming case' brought by the prosecution, considering the entire event was captured on dashcam. He said the value of the early plea is in 'sparing the families' further trauma of a trial which would have arisen. Mr Aylmer said McGinn's injuries cannot be ignored but they provide little mitigation because 'they were self imposed'. The court heard he has lost his marriage due to circumustances arising out of the tragedy and his relationship with his children has become distant. The judge also said he had received reports that McGinn displayed appropriate victim empathy and his sense of responsibility for the deaths and the injuries suffered 'weighs heavily' on him. McGinn is also considered to present a low risk of reoffending. Mr Aylmer reduced the sentence to seven years on each count, to run concurrently from Wednesday. McGinn was also disqualified from driving for a period of 15 years.
The Journal
14-05-2025
- The Journal
Driver jailed for seven years over Monaghan debs crash that killed two teenagers
LAST UPDATE | 31 mins ago A MONAGHAN MAN who admitted to dangerous driving causing the deaths of two teenagers making their way to a debs ball has been sentenced to seven years in jail. 61-year-old Anthony McGinn of Drumloo, Newbliss had last week pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of 17-year-old Kiea McCann and 16 year old Dlava Mohammed. On 31 July 2023, Kiea and Dlava were making their way to the debs ball in the Western Arms Hotel along with Dlava's sister Avin. The car they were travelling in, driven by McGinn, struck a tree at Legnakelly, Clones, killing Kiea, Dlava, and seriously injuring Avin. At a hearing last week at Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court, Senior Investigating Officer Ann-Marie Lardner told the court the primary cause of the accident was speed. According to an extensive forensic report, McGinn's average speed between Clones and the scene of the collision near the New Line junction was calculated to 138.85 km/h. The speed limit on that road is 80 km/h. In Garda interviews, the court heard that McGinn said he couldn't remember anything that happened, he only remembered getting into the car in Clones. Defence solicitors had appealed to the court to consider Anthony McGinn's lack of previous convictions, his low risk of reoffending, and his expression of remorse to the families when passing sentence. Judge John Aylmer set a headline sentence of nine years and reduced that to seven years on mitigation. McGinn was also disqualified from driving for 15 years. Victims Kiea McCann (left) and Dlava Mohammed (right) died in the crash in Monaghan on their way to a debs ball. Victim impact statements were read in court last week. Mohammed Mohammed, Dlava's father said how the light from his wife's eyes is now gone, and he wakes up with a broken heart every day. He described how his family left Syria in 2017 to chase their dreams, but now Dlava will never get the chance. Avin, who suffered serious injuries in the incident, said the crash changed her life forever, that it was supposed to be a happy night getting ready with her sister and her best friend for the debs. She said she told McGinn to slow down multiple times, and then everything went black. Advertisement She suffered five broken bones in her legs along with numerous other injuries such as fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and required multiple surgeries. The incident left her with life-changing injuries and she described how she can no longer draw, and had to attend speech and language therapy. Kiea's father, Frankie McCann also read a statement to the court last week. He said Kiea was a vibrant young girl with so much drive, who had aspirations to be a carer or social worker and who, despite her dyslexia, achieved merits and distinctions in her Leaving Cert. He said that performing CPR on her and her best friend in vain will stay with him forever. A statement read by Frankie on behalf of Teresa, Kiea's mother, described how her daughter's life has been robbed and that she received a headstone as her 18th birthday present. Kiea's sisters also read statements on how much they missed her, and how McGinn had destroyed their families' lives. Judge During sentencing, Judge John Aylmer said that aggravating circumstances included that McGinn was travelling at almost twice the speed limit in an 80 km/h zone. He also raised evidence that McGinn had 'ignored the somewhat angry pleas to desist from two of the frightened young passengers.' The judge said that the he was guilty of 'extraordinary breach of that trust' and that 'the devastating impact of your actions add to the aggravation in this case'. 'The intention was a very determined one to drive at a grossly excessive speed and thereby having a reckless disregard for the obvious potential for death and serious injury to result,' the judge said, adding that this places the offending at the upper scale. 'I have been asked to consider the fact that you too suffered very serious injuries in mitigation, but that provides little mitigation for you insofar as they were self-imposed. I note that you have since lost your marriage and your relationship with your children I'm told has become distant,' the judge said. 'I have regard to your deep sense of remorse. I heard from the families of the deceased that as far as they were concerned you did not show remorse. 'That is not the case but it is the case that you did not convey this to them, but there were reasons for this, such as the criminal case pending.' The judge said that McGinn has 'significant injuries arising from the collision' that would make prison more difficult. He said he would therefore reduce the headline sentence of nine years to one of seven-years in prison on each count, and those are to run concurrently to each other. - With reporting by Jack Cunnane Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
