By Ursula Duddy
Reporter
A 21-year-old man has admitted causing the death of his brother and cousin while driving unlicensed, uninsured and in a car bearing false number plates near Newbuildings in June 2015.
Dylan McDonald of Allen Park, Donemana, County Tyrone appeared before Derry Crown Court charged with two counts of causing death of his brother Michael, aged 21, and cousin Aaron McDonald, aged 19, by dangerous driving, two counts of causing death by driving as an unlicensed driver, two counts of causing death by driving as an uninsured driver and using false registration plates on the vehicle. The incident took place on June 3, 2015.
McDonald was 18-years-old at the time of the crash and a 16-year-old female passenger was also in the black Volkswagen Golf but escaped without serious injury.
The car crashed on the main Derry to Strabane road between Newbuildings and Magheramason at around 3.30am.
In Derry Crown Court earlier this week, McDonald appeared for his arraignment. When the charges were put to him, McDonald pleaded guilty to all offences except two counts of dangerous driving causing the deaths of his brother and cousin.
Stephen Mooney, defence counsel, said a consultant engineer was being instructed in the case. The prosecution said that the case is to be ‘almost exclusively based on expert evidence’.
The matter was adjourned for two weeks and a mandatory disqualification from driving was imposed upon McDonald in the interim by Crown Court Judge Philip Babington.
McDonald was released on continuing court bail and was excused from the next court appearance when the matter will be mentioned again on February 20.
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