Teen who killed best friend in crash jailed for dangerous driving

A 19-year-old man who killed his teenage friend when the uninsured car he was driving at 155km/h crashed into an oncoming vehicle has been jailed for four years.

Brogan Kelly of Rathduff, Dundalk – who was 17 at the time - pleaded guilty at Dundalk Circuit Court, sitting in Drogheda, to dangerous driving causing the death of Barry Griffin jnr (17) at Ballymascanlon on October 20th last year.

Kelly was also given concurrent sentences for two counts of dangerous driving at Rockmarshall and Bellurgan, failing to provide assistance to his friend and driving without insurance. He was also fined for driving without a licence and fraudulent use of registration plates.

A witness told gardaí he was driving in Bellurgan on the main Dundalk to Greenore road at about 8.45pm on October 20th when he was passed by a Mercedes and a Volkswagen Passat, which was being driven by Kelly.

He said the Volkswagen undertook him before it overtook the Mercedes at speed and collided with an oncoming Ford Kuga.

The court heard Kelly was estimated to be driving at about 155km/h and neither he nor Mr Griffin had been wearing seatbelts.

Kelly left the scene with the driver of the Mercedes and went to Northern Ireland before he told his father what had happened.

He then presented himself at Dundalk Garda station and fully co-operated with the subsequent Garda investigation.

Judge Mary O’Malley Costello noted the devastating impact Mr Griffin’s death has had on his family. She accepted the defendant’s remorse was genuine and noted his early guilty plea, his previously clean record and that he had been assessed as being at low risk of reoffending.

The judge imposed a five and a half year sentence for the charge of dangerous driving causing death. She suspended the final 18 months on condition Kelly enters a bond to be of good behaviour and engage with the Probation Service for three years after his release.

She also banned Kelly from driving for five years.