Karl Heaney: Pair sentenced over Newry man's death on A1

Karl Heaney died in the crash on the A1

A man and woman in their 30s have been sentenced for causing the death of a Newry, County Down, man in a crash on the A1 dual carriageway in May 2018.

Karl Heaney, 27, was driving from Newry towards Belfast when he encountered two cars driving on the wrong side of the road near Banbridge.

He managed to avoid the first car, but was struck by the second.

Two people were sentenced to 80 hours of community service and two year driving bans on Monday.

Donald Hughes, 35, of Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn, and Shelagh McMahon, 33, of Ardcollum Avenue, Dublin, were convicted of causing Mr Heaney's death by carless driving.

Newry Crown Court heard that earlier that evening they had met for the first time at the Halfway House, a pub and restaurant near the A1, just north of Banbridge.

They later decided to travel, in separate cars south to Carlingford.

However, rather than crossing the central reservation to turn right, Ms McMahon turned right into the overtaking lane of the oncoming section of the dual carriageway. Mr Hughes followed in his car.

The court heard that both defendants were unfamiliar with the road layout and that some road signage was only partially visible, grass was overgrown and the far side of the dual carriageway would have been hard to see at night.

The Heaney family spoke outside court

Mr Heaney was able to swerve out of the way of Ms McMahon's car, but was then struck by Mr Hughes'.

There was nothing to suggest that any of the vehicles were travelling at excessive speed, and neither defendant was over the legal limit.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charge in March.

On Monday, Judge Paul Ramsey QC described "a scene of confusion and horror" in the aftermath of the crash in what he described as a "sad, dreadful and heartbreaking" case.

Before passing sentence, Judge Ramsey QC referenced the "eloquent, moving and heart-rending" victim impact statements from Mr Heaney's family and his girlfriend Ciara.

The A1 carries about 40,000 vehicles a day on average

In her statement, Ciara Sands said that on the night of the accident, Mr Heaney had arrived at her parents' home around 22:00 local time, still in his Newry Mitchel's Gaelic football training gear.

They talked about their plans to move to England together. She walked him to his car and believes she is the last person to see him alive.

Since his death, Mr Heaney's mother Monica has campaigned for safety upgrades for the A1.

In January, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon approved the recommendations of a public inquiry which advocated the closing of side roads and central reservation crossings along the route.

Outside court, Mrs Heaney called on the Department for Infrastructure to speed up the delivery of these works.

Monica Heaney has campaigned for upgrades to the A1 since the death of her 27-year-old son, Karl

In a statement on Monday, Minister Mallon said: "I am very aware of how important the A1 improvements are for the many people who have expressed their support for the scheme, especially all those who have lost loved ones, including the Heaney family.

"I am committed to doing all I can to deliver this scheme as quickly as possible.

"I have allocated £1.35m to progress the scheme during the current financial year which will include the completion of the ground investigation works and the preparation of a detailed economic appraisal."