Ballycastle double fatal car crash - family trio in dock

A MOTHER, father and son, accused in connection with a serious crash in which two people died, stood side by side in the dock at a court on Monday to hear a prosecutor say reports connected to their case are still awaited.

The family trio was at Coleraine Magistrates court in relation to a fatal road traffic collision in which two young men were killed and several others injured earlier this year.

Shane Kinney (21) is charged with causing death by dangerous driving and other charges following a crash at Cushendall Road, Ballycastle, on April 6 this year.

He was flanked in the dock by his mother Sharon Kinney (48) and father Kevin Kinney (51) - all of Drones Road, Armoy - at the court which was told by a prosecutor a forensic report is still outstanding in relation to paint.

The prosecutor said the report is due in October.

The lawyer further said a vehicle movements report is due in December.

Sharon and Kevin Kinney are charged with perverting the course of justice in connection with the horror road smash their son has been accused of causing.

Two people - Johnny Black (19) from Ballycastle and Robin Wilson (26) from Armoy - died and a number of other young people were injured following a collision near Ballycastle on Easter Monday this year.

Ballycastle teenager Clodagh Arbuckle was left with serious injuries, but is now out of hospital.

At a previous court a police officer said at 3.41am on Monday April 6 this year police received a report of a fatal road traffic collision at Cushendall Road, Ballycastle, involving two vehicles at the scene - a Volkswagen Bora in which Robin Wilson was going towards Ballycastle and a Peugeot car containing Johnny Black going towards Ballyvoy.

The officer said police investigations led them to believe a third vehicle was involved, a blue Volkswagen Golf, which was identified as belonging to Shane Kinney through its registration number.

He said the suspect presented himself voluntarily at Coleraine Police Station on April 8 and made a no comment interview and afterwards presented his car for inspection and no damage was found.

The officer said police believed parts were stolen from a car dismantlers yard in Armoy which were fitted on the vehicle and forensics later matched the parts on Kinney’s car to a car in the yard.

He said witnesses placed Kinney at the scene of the accident with damage to his car but that he then left the scene.

The officer said another witness saw Kinney and one of the deceased, Robin Wilson, at Hunter’s Bar in Ballyvoy.

At the time he said “community tension is very high in the Ballycastle area” and said police had concern for the safety of Kinney.

The policeman said witnesses said Kinney’s parents recovered the car on the evening of April 6.

The three Kinneys are currently on bail and the case was adjourned to November.