Teenage best friends Kiea McCann, 17, and Dlava Mohammed, 16, were laid next to one another “holding hands” after they were killed in a car crash in July 2023, according to testimony during a sentencing hearing
The victims had been traveling to a high school prom at the time of the incident
Anthony McGinn, 61, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of the teenagers and is set to be sentenced next week, per reports
Two teenage best friends were laid next to each other “holding hands” after they were killed in a car crash in Ireland, one of the girl’s mothers said during a sentencing hearing at the Monaghan Circuit Court for the man who pleaded guilty to causing their deaths.
Kiea McCann, 17, and Dlava Mohammed, 16, were fatally injured on July 31, 2023 after the car they were traveling to their high school prom in struck a tree at approximately 75 mph, per The Irish Times.
Anthony McGinn, 61, who was driving the victims to the event at the Westenra Arms Hotel in Monaghan, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of the teenagers in January, the BBC previously reported.
The suspect was also charged with dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm to Dlava’s sister, Avin Mohammed, who was also in the car but survived, the outlet noted.
The victims were laid next to one another “holding hands” following the crash, per The Telegraph. The crash took place on the N54 road at Legnakelly, just outside Clones, the Raidió Teilifís Eireann (RTÉ) stated.
Kiea’s mother, Teresa, said in court that she’d “trusted” McGinn to drive her daughter to the prom. “When we got to the scene, Kiea was already gone. Her dad tried CPR on her. Nothing would bring her back,” she said, per The Telegraph.
“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,” she added, according to the outlet.
Passenger Oisin Clerkin had been sitting in the front seat at the time of the crash, and asked the suspect to slow down, The Telegraph reported.
“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” Clerkin told the Republic of Ireland’s police force, the Gardaí, in a statement.
Dashcam footage of the crash, taken from a vehicle traveling behind the suspect’s car, was played during a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, May 7, per The Irish Times. It showed the road had been wet at the time of the incident due to rain.
On the day of the crash, McGinn “had called over to the McCann family home before they all gathered at a pub in Clones” ahead of the school prom, the RTÉ stated.
Kiea’s father, Frankie, told the court that his daughter will “never know her first love, get married or have a child of her own,” per the broadcasting company, while Dlava’s father, Mohammed, said in a victim impact statement read out by Inspector Lardner that his daughter was a “piece of his heart.”
Mohammed said that the family had moved to Ireland from Syria to start a new life, but added that his daughter’s dreams were “now buried with her,” the RTÉ stated.
Kiea’s father said his daughter’s death was a “death sentence” for the family, and her mom said Kiea’s 18th birthday present had been a headstone, The Telegraph reported.
Dlava’s sister Avin, who was seriously injured in the crash, said, “My sister came with me [to prom] because I had no one else to go with.” She added that “everything changed” as soon as they got into McGinn’s car, per The Irish Times. Avin remembered asking the driver to stop, before she said everything went black, and she woke up with serious injuries in the hospital.
Defense barrister Breffni Gordon noted that McGinn had been seriously injured in the crash and “formally apologizes to the family and friends of the victims,” the RTÉ stated.
McGinn is expected to be sentenced on Wednesday, May 14.
The Monaghan Circuit Criminal Court didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information, and the Gardaí said it wasn’t able to comment “on named individuals” or on “matters before the courts.”