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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Man admits killing girl in crash | Man admits killing girl in crash |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A 20-year-old man who knocked down and killed a 14-year-old girl has been given a suspended jail sentence. | A 20-year-old man who knocked down and killed a 14-year-old girl has been given a suspended jail sentence. |
| Michael Thomas McDonnell, from Garnock, off Blacks Road in Belfast, pleaded guilty to killing Adele Whiteside by dangerous driving. | Michael Thomas McDonnell, from Garnock, off Blacks Road in Belfast, pleaded guilty to killing Adele Whiteside by dangerous driving. |
| Adele was knocked down as she crossed Finaghy Road South in Belfast in September 2007. | Adele was knocked down as she crossed Finaghy Road South in Belfast in September 2007. |
| Speaking outside the court the Whiteside family said they were "appalled and disgusted". | Speaking outside the court the Whiteside family said they were "appalled and disgusted". |
| Adele was a pupil at Dunmurry High School and was returning home from a wedding when she was killed. | Adele was a pupil at Dunmurry High School and was returning home from a wedding when she was killed. |
| At Belfast Crown Court on Monday, Judge Miller imposed a sentence of 18 months imprisonment, but suspended the sentence for three years. | |
| 'Distress' | |
| McDonnell admitted to the court that he had been driving too fast, 47 mph in a 30 mph speed limit, and that he failed to keep a proper lookout. | |
| Judge Miller said there appeared to no identifiable answer, from the eye witnesses or the defendant, as to why the accident took place. | |
| The court heard road was clear and well lit, and McDonnell was sober and there was no evidence that he had taken drugs. | |
| "This lack of explanation must only serve to underscore the sense of grief and of a life needlessly lost that so clearly preoccupies and distresses (her) family," said Judge Miller. | |
| He said the defendants guilty plea deserved credit and concluded "not without some considerable hesitation" that this was a case where the circumstances justified a suspended sentence. |