AN IRISH woman in England has been convicted of causing the deaths of her two children by careless driving.
Mary McCann (35), of Bamford Avenue, Derby, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of alcohol at Aylsebury Crown Court yesterday, 16 February.
At around 11.10pm on Monday 9 August last year, McCann was driving northbound on the M1 between junctions 14 and 15 when she collided with a white Scania HGV.
Her two children, Lilly McCann, aged four, and Smaller Peter McCann, aged ten, sustained fatal injuries and sadly died at the scene.
The day of the accident was also Smaller's tenth birthday.
A third passenger, a two-year-old girl, was not seriously injured, nor was the driver of the lorry.
McCann was arrested after she handed herself into police, and had been on bail but was remanded in custody after she failed to appear in court in September.
Judge Francis Sheridan issued a warrant for her arrest, and Border Force were asked to place alerts at all ports and airports to precent her from leaving the UK.
Speaking on Wednesday, he said he pitied the police who had rushed to the scene.
He said:
"Who would want to be a member of the roads policing unit having to attend scenes like this? I don't know how they do it."
He also said he thought it was likely McCann would try to abscond to Ireland.
Ms McCann's defence barrister asked Judge Sheridan to delay sentencing so that a psychiatric report could be prepared.
Investigating officer, Sergeant Dominic Mahon, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Bicester, said:
"This was a tragic incident in which two young children lost their lives.
"My thoughts remain with their family at this incredibly difficult time. Thankfully they will not have to go through the ordeal of a trial due to McCann’s guilty pleas today."
McCann is due to be sentenced on 25 April at Aylesbury Crown Court.
