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30/03/2007
Belfast man jailed for dangerous driving
A man has been jailed for nine years for a car crash which resulted in the death of his cousin and a friend.
Thomas McCartney, 24, from Ballymurphy Crescent was involved in a head-on crash on the Falls Road. He was found guilty of dangerous driving.
His cousin Jamie-Lee Rooney, aged 15 and friend Paul McCrory, 22, were both killed when he crashed head-on into a Mercedes taxi on 18 December 2005. He also admitted to driving without insurance.
Belfast Crown Court heard had been weaving in and out of traffic, overtaking other vehicles and travelling at speeds of up to 90mph.
Six other people were injured in the crash. Judge Patrick Lynch commented: “All of them will live with the memory and tragedy of this particular evening and will probably never get over it.”
McCartney was sentenced to nine-years and will serve a further 12-months probation.
He was disqualified from driving for 20 years. However, the judge said he was tempted to ban him for life.
“In my view, you should probably never ever be behind the wheel of a car again,” said Judge Lynch.
(JM/SP)
Thomas McCartney, 24, from Ballymurphy Crescent was involved in a head-on crash on the Falls Road. He was found guilty of dangerous driving.
His cousin Jamie-Lee Rooney, aged 15 and friend Paul McCrory, 22, were both killed when he crashed head-on into a Mercedes taxi on 18 December 2005. He also admitted to driving without insurance.
Belfast Crown Court heard had been weaving in and out of traffic, overtaking other vehicles and travelling at speeds of up to 90mph.
Six other people were injured in the crash. Judge Patrick Lynch commented: “All of them will live with the memory and tragedy of this particular evening and will probably never get over it.”
McCartney was sentenced to nine-years and will serve a further 12-months probation.
He was disqualified from driving for 20 years. However, the judge said he was tempted to ban him for life.
“In my view, you should probably never ever be behind the wheel of a car again,” said Judge Lynch.
(JM/SP)
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