Kiea McCann’s father reacts to latest court case

"Where is the justice for my daughter?"

Those were the words of Kiea McCann’s father, Francis, who was reacting to the latest court case arising from dash cam footage that showed the tragic crash that claimed the life of his daughter Kiea (17) and her friend Dlava Mohammed (16) in August 2023.

At Monaghan District Court on Monday, Alin Gatea was disqualified from driving for four years and received three suspended sentences for dangerous driving on the date. He was driving the vehicle travelling behind the car that crashed into a tree near Clones. His sentence was based on Gatea's own driving on the occasion and the DPP had not linked it to the crash that caused the deaths of the teenage girls.

Last month, Anthony McGinn was sentenced to seven years in prison and banned from driving for 15 years after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the deaths of Kiea McCann and Dlava Mohammed in 2023.

Alin Sorin Gatea (46) from Carn Heights, Clones was driving a vehicle behind the one McGinn was driving on the night the two students were killed on the way to their debs.

Both cars reached speeds of over 150km p/h at points along the road leading up to the point of the crash at Legnakelly.

“We got no satisfaction out of that court yesterday,” Frankie McCann told The Anglo-Celt, “That leaves us nowhere. We’re just in limbo.”

Frankie McCann said he met Alin Gatea for the first time when the students going to their debs on July 31, 2023 met at the McCann family home in Clones before the two cars driven by McGinn and Gatea set off for Monaghan Town.

There was no evidence given, no witness statements read out in court because Gatea pleaded guilty.

It was said in court that the McCann family believed that the drivers were racing; but the DPP just took a case of dangerous driving.

Frankie told the Celt: "I got angry in court because we weren’t getting justice. What’s the point in us going to court for that?"

“A man driving at those speeds with children in the car and my daughter and her friend are dead... Where is the justice?” Frankie asked.

He continued: “My daughter’s not going to get justice. There’s nothing we can do now. He didn’t even get a fine. We get letters and cards from all over Ireland and people comment on Facebook and everybody’s disgusted.”

When asked about how Kiea’s mother, Teresa, and their eight children are coping since the loss of Kiea, Frankie McCann said: “Not good. We are all grieving and angry.“The children are all grieving in their different ways. You don’t look ahead to another year; you take one day at a time,” he said.

Frankie McCann’s heartbreak and frustration is palpable as he searches for answers and justice.

While some of his anger is directed at the justice system, Mr McCann says he and his family have been supported through each of the court cases and the legal process by their Garda Family Liaison Officer Gda Gary Cawley.

“You couldn’t get a better guard as a liaison officer than Gda Cawley,” Frankie said.

“He has kept us in the loop throughout. I cannot praise him enough."