Ballycastle road tragedy - man denies perverting course of justice

A man has pleaded not guilty to charges connected to an alleged death by dangerous driving case following an horrific road traffic collision in north Antrim in which two young people died and others were injured.
Judge's court wig and hammer or gavelJudge's court wig and hammer or gavel
Judge's court wig and hammer or gavel

Kevin Alexander Kinney (52), of Drones Road, Armoy, appeared in the dock for his arraignment at Antrim Crown Court sitting in Coleraine on Friday to deny three charges linked to the serious collision near Ballycastle at Easter 2015.

He faces two charges of intent to pervert the course of justice and his third charge accuses him of conspiring with his wife Sharon Kinney (50) and son Shane Kinney (22) with intent to pervert justice. They all have the same address.

Kevin Kinney is accused of intending to pervert justice by removing a Volkswagen Golf from Carrickmore Road, Ballycastle, and by obtaining parts of a blue Volkswagen Golf from a breaker’s yard in Armoy.

The third charge relates to allegedly conspiring with his wife and son with intent to pervert the course of justice by concealing and repairing damage to the car.

Appearing in front of Judge Desmond Marrinan, Kevin Kinney was released on continuing bail and his trial has been listed for March next year.

Shane Kinney and Sharon Kinney have already had their cases returned to the Crown Court but their arraignments have yet to take place.

Shane Kinney faces six charges including causing the deaths of Johnny Black (19) from Ballycastle and Robin Wilson (26) from Armoy by dangerous driving on April 6, 2015, at Cushendall Road, Ballycastle.

He is further charged with causing grievous bodily injury by dangerous driving to Clodagh Arbuckle and Denise Dunlop.

Shane Kinney is also charged with conspiring together with his parents with intent to pervert the course of justice by concealing and repairing damage cause to a Volkswagen Golf which had allegedly been involved in the collision.

Shane Kinney is also charged with failing to report an accident.

Sharon Kinney also faces charges related to her alleged involvement in the aftermath of the collision.

Along with her husband she is jointly charged with intent to pervert the course of justice by removing the Volkswagen Golf from Carrickmore Road, Ballycastle.

She is also accused of conspiring with her husband and son with intent to pervert the course of justice by concealing and repairing damage to the car.

When the trio had their cases sent to the Crown Court at Coleraine Magistrates Court in October it was heard how the file on Shane Kinney runs to more than 1,400 pages.

At a court hearing in Coleraine last year a police officer said at 3.41am on Monday April 6, 2015, 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, 2015, 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 the officer claimed 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 area.

The officer said another witness had earlier seen Kinney and one of the deceased, Robin Wilson, at Hunter’s Bar in Ballyvoy, near Ballycastle.

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

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