Driver is jailed over death of brother & cousin

Man, 21, sent down over crash horror

A DRIVER who caused the deaths of his brother and cousin in a horrific car crash was jailed yesterday.

The judge told Dylan Mcdonald, 21, it was a heart-wrenching case that his family would never forget.

He was jailed for 12 months and disqualified from driving for six years at Derry Crown Court.

The accused was driving in the early hours of June 3, 2015, when he lost control of his Volkswagen Golf.

He and his girlfriend escaped with minor injuries but his brother Aaron, 19, and his 21-year-old cousin Michael Norman Mcdonald, who were back-seat passengers and not wearing seat belts, died. The car was travelling at 60mph when it a hit the tree stump before crashing into a field.

The defendant pleaded guilty to causing the deaths by dangerous driving, while being behind the wheel without a licence and insurance.

Mcdonald told police he must have hit a large puddle before he lost control on the road between the villages of Newbuildings and Magheramason.

The court heard he had repeatedly driven his car that he bought six weeks before the crash,

Judge Philip Babington said victim impact reports demonstrated the devastating loss felt by the two families and it was clear the three young men had been extremely close.

He added while Mcdonald deserved maximum credit in terms of sentencing there were aggravating factors.

The judge said: “It is impossible to ignore certain features of the case relating to a lack of a licence, the lack of insurance and the deliberate deception of cloning vehicle registration plates.

“It is also yet another example of a young man driving in a completely inappropriate manner.”

SCENE Vehicle taken away in June 2015