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Crash inquest witnesses
fail to show 29.09.08
A CORONER was forced to
adjourn an inquest into the death of an Inishowen
crash victim on Friday after the driver convicted of
causing her death and two other witnesses failed to
show.
Dr John Madden had to adjourn the inquest into the
death of Carndonagh woman Alice Mullan, 20, who died
along with her friend Kelly Doherty, also 20, in an
accident at Ballyargus, Redcastle, in the early
hours of March 19, 2005. Ms Mullan died at the scene
while Ms Doherty died several hours later in
hospital. |
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Dr Madden said it would
be "pointless" to proceed with the inquest without
the evidence of three witnesses including Louise
Cantwell, 24, a beautician from Gortlarry,
Carndonagh who was found guilty by a jury in May of
dangerous driving causing the two deaths. She walked
free from court on July 28, 2008, after receiving |
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a three-year suspended
sentence and a five-year driving ban. The judge said
he could find no aggravating circumstances such as
excessive speed, recklessness or "girl-racing" that
would justify a custodial sentence.
At the July sentencing, both families said their
pain had been worsened because Louise Cantwell had
never expressed remorse for the tragedy.
Another witness who failed to show up at Carndonagh
Coroner's Court were Rhona Moran who was driving the
car Ms Cantwell struck as she came around the
sweeping right-hand bend and strayed into the wrong
carriageway. Paul McLaughlin who was a passenger in
another car travelling behind Ms Cantwell’s vehicle,
and who attended the victim at the scene, also
failed to appear. Dr Madden thanked the witnesses
who did show up including Patricia Logue who was
driving the car in which Mr McLaughlin was a
passenger.
After waiting a half-hour for the witnesses to show,
Dr Madden apologised to the Mullan family and said
he would have to adjourn the case. "I'm afraid three
witnesses have chosen for one reason or another not
to show up. It shows, at the very least, a
thoughtlessness for the family and everybody else
involved in this case," said Dr Madden. Summonses
were issued for the three to appear at the
rescheduled inquest on October 10. |
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