A 33-year-old man accused of causing the deaths of a father and son by dangerous driving – and seriously injuring another – is to face a preliminary enquiry (PE) in September – the stage at which point the case is elevated to the Crown Court.
Ivan Petrov, of Newry Road, Armagh, is charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing grievous bodily injury by dangerous driving.
The case was listed before Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Newry, on Tuesday.
Petrov is accused of causing the deaths of Peter Devlin (63) and his son, Loughlin Devlin (28), from Killylea. The pair were travelling in the same car when it was involved in a collision with a vehicle driven by Petrov on December 27, 2024.
Peter’s wife, Ursula Devlin, sustained serious injuries in the crash. Another woman and a young baby were also treated for injuries in hospital.
Addressing the court, a prosecuting lawyer said: “I’m pleased to be able to tell the court that there’s been progress in relation to this extremely tragic and complicated matter.
“Subject to the court, may I be allowed to fix a PE date for the first of September, please. The charges are settled, and the PE papers are well under preparation. But may I ask for a review two weeks beforehand? I don’t expect anything untoward, but just as a matter of housekeeping, review on August 18, please.”
Defence barrister Bobby Rea replied: “Received very gratefully…after a very long period of time.”
Deputy District Judge Philip Mateer agreed to those dates.
The case was then adjourned with Petrov remanded back into custody.
