A man charged with causing the deaths of a father and son in a fatal road traffic collision in Killylea last Christmas has been refused bail.
Ivan Petrov (33), of Newry Road, Armagh, appeared at Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Newry, on Tuesday for the purpose of a bail application.
Petrov faces charges of causing death by dangerous driving (two counts) and causing grievous bodily injury by dangerous driving.
The court heard that the charges arise from a two-vehicle collision which occurred on December 27, 2024, at around 12.42pm on the Killylea Road, just beyond the junction with Tonnagh Road, just outside Killylea village.
Police allege that Petrov was driving an Audi A8 westbound when, “for reasons unknown”, the vehicle crossed into the oncoming lane and collided with a Mercedes carrying five passengers.
The driver and front-seat passenger of the Mercedes – father and son Peter and Loughlin Devlin – sadly died as a result of their injuries. Three passengers seated in the rear of the vehicle, including a baby, sustained grievous bodily injuries.
Objecting to bail, a constable told the court that four proposed bail addresses had previously been deemed unsuitable, including properties in Milford, Armagh, Aughnacloy and County Monaghan.
A further address at St John’s Crescent in Portadown was now being put forward and was said to belong to the defendant’s cousin.
However, police had not received proof of ownership or permanence in respect of that address. National identity documents of Bulgarian origin had been provided for the resident and two other adults residing there, said to be the cousin’s parents, and these were being forwarded by police for foreign conviction checks.
The officer also outlined Petrov’s driving history, stating he had been disqualified in July 2018 for a period of nine months. During that disqualification, he travelled to Portugal, where the mother of his children lives, and in November of that year obtained a Portuguese driving licence, while disqualified in Northern Ireland.
The court was told an expert collision report is due within the next couple of months.
District Judge Anne Marshall queried the length of time taken for this report, with officer explaining there was a backlog, although the report was nearing completion.
Defence counsel Bobbie Rea argued there had been significant delay in the case and stressed the “horrendous circumstances” involved.
He submitted that the case concerned negligence-based culpability and cautioned against assumptions of future offending which police stated they were concerned with.
Mr Rea told the court that Petrov had been in the jurisdiction for around 10 years, with only three previous offences dating back to 2015 and 2017. He said there was no basis to suggest his client would drive while on bail, highlighting what he described as “strong family ties”, an “entrenched employment history”, and a willingness to surrender his passport to prevent any travel outside the jurisdiction.
The defence also said Petrov’s family, through his mother, were prepared to lodge a £3,000 cash surety and that he had become a “model prisoner” while in custody, even acting as a mentor within the prison system.
However, refusing bail, Judge Marshall said the case involved “an extremely serious incident with horrific consequences”.
She identified three main objections to bail: risk of reoffending, risk of flight, and the lack of a suitable bail address.
“I am satisfied that the risk of reoffending is made out on his record,” she said, noting previous convictions for no insurance, driving without the appropriate licence and driving with a child not properly restrained, which she said demonstrated “a complete lack of regard for our road traffic legislation”.
The judge also found there was a flight risk, citing Petrov’s links to Bulgaria, Portugal and the south of Ireland, and concluded that no appropriate bail address had been established.
“For all of those reasons, I’m not persuaded that he is an appropriate candidate for bail,” she said, adding that while delay had been acknowledged, the case needed to be progressed.
Petrov was remanded in custody with the case adjourned for an update in January.
