A north Belfast man appeared in court and was remanded in custody, accused of causing a collision which caused the death of a teenager and has left another child in a critical condition.
Appearing at Limavady Magistrates' Court, sitting in Coleraine, 29-year-old Tiernan McCann confirmed he understood the eight charges against him.
Mr McCann, from Flax Street in Belfast, is charged with causing the death of Callum Hutchinson by driving dangerously, and carelessly on the Belfast Road at Nutts Corner last Sunday, 26 April.
The 29-year-old is also charged with causing grievous bodily injury to an 11-year-old boy, also by dangerous and careless driving.
He is further charged with driving while unfit through drink or drugs, driving at excess speed, using his mobile phone while driving and having an incorrect form of registration mark, alleged to have been committed on the same date.
At the conclusion of the hearing, defence solicitor Andrew Kinney said while he realised words cannot assuage the "fear and grief of the family but he has asked me to state for the record, his complete and utter regret for his actions".
Detective Constable Baxter gave evidence that he believed he could connect Mr McCann to each of the charges, the court also heard that "admissions were made" by the defendant that he had taken both alcohol and drugs.
He outlined that around 7.45am on Sunday morning, police were already in attendance on the Belfast Road and speaking to participants of a horse and cart charity event when the accident occurred.
Officers' attention had already been drawn to a VW Golf because of its speed, said the officer, adding that when a VW Passat was waiting to turn right into the forecourt of a filling station, it crashed into the rear of vehicle.
The Passat sustained "catastrophic rear damage and came to rest with the rear of the car in a hedge," while the Golf being driven by Mr McCann was "briefly engulfed in flames".
Officers were quickly on the scene but Mr McCann had already got out of the driver’s seat and was spotted a short distance up the road where he collapsed.
"He asked about his friend who he says was driving but he appeared to be under the influence," DC Baxter said.
Mr McCann was taken to hospital for non-life threatening injuries, and after he was discharged on Tuesday, he was interviewed by police.
During interviews, CCTV footage of the impact was shown to Mr McCann and DC Baxter said that as well as expressing his remorse and regret, "I did see his eyes were watering."
"On seeing the footage, I think the reality hit him of the severity of what has occurred," said the officer.
Regarding objections to bail, the court heard that just over ten years ago Mr McCann was dealt with for vehicle theft and driving with excess alcohol, and that subsequently, he was convicted of driving while disqualified.
Under cross-examination from Mr Kinney, the officer agreed that McCann had answered police questions during interviews "to the best of his ability and what he could remember."
He also agreed with the suggestion that fatal driving cases can take years between the incident and being dealt with by the courts.
DC Baxter highlighted however, that the PSNI investigate every fatal road traffic collision and while there were 56 last year, "there have been 29 deaths on our roads this year".
In his submissions, Mr Kinney conceded that while Mr McCann has 14 previous convictions including some which are directly relevant, he emphasised there was nothing relating to the manner of the defendant’s driving standard since 2017.
He argued that with a £1,000 surety available, that Mr McCann could be granted bail subject to a package of strict conditions.
Judge King said however, causing death while under the influence of drink or drugs "makes it a difficult bail application".
He added that looking at McCann’s previous offending, "albeit of some antiquity," shows that he committed driving offences and then ignored a court order by driving while banned.
"On balance, you are not a suitable candidate for bail," the judge ruled, remanding Mr McCann in custody and adjourning the case to 26 May.
