A 20-YEAR-OLD MAN has been jailed for 14 months for causing the death of a couple by dangerous driving in 2017 at a sitting of Downpatrick Crown Court today. 

Dean and Sandra Weir, both 52, were killed in a crash on St Patrick’s Day in 2017 after their car was struck by one driven by Charles Hugh Macartney.

Macartney was sentenced to 14 months in jail and ordered to spend a further 14 months under supervised licence. He has been also been disqualified from driving for five years until tested.

Dean and Sandra’s only child, Katie, told the BBC that justice had not been served with today’s sentencing. 

“I feel our justice system lacks any justice whatsoever,” Weir said. 

“I was hoping for ten years but I was expecting perhaps four. But I never would have expected a year and two months for killing two parents. 

Once your family’s gone and your parents are gone, everything’s gone. At Christmas you’re on your own, you don’t celebrate birthdays, there are no cards. 

“There’s no going home to your mum and saying I had a bad day. I used to go home to my mum and chat about anything and everything.

“But I don’t have that and I don’t have anybody to go home and just cry to. You cry on your own,” she said. 

Constable Dinning from the PSNI’s collision investigation unit said his thoughts at this “extremely sad time” are with Katie. 

“The incredibly sad reality is this loss of life and the catastrophic impact this collision has had on Katie could have been avoided.  

“Katie has been cruelly deprived of the chance to share her future with two of the most important people in her life.  She will never be able to lift the phone to chat with her parents, or share the many momentous milestones ahead of her.  This has all been taken from her.”

Dinning added that everyone shares the responsibility for road safety.

“Our message is straightforward. All road users need to slow down; be aware of and pay attention to their surroundings. Otherwise, the results can be simply catastrophic.”