Killer driver Steven Cunningham facing jail over Charlotte McHugh death in Dundonald
A grieving mum looked on in court today as a banned driver admitted causing her daughter’s death by careless driving while unfit and warned that he faces “the certainty that he is going to jail for many years”.
Steven Cunningham admitted causing the death of Charlotte McHugh and removing her from the crash scene.
The 28-year-old was due to go on trial at Downpatrick Crown Court but following discussions between the prosecution and defence, he was re-arraigned on eight of the dozen charges against him.
Cunningham, whose address is subject to a reporting restriction due to threats on his life, admitted causing the death of Ms McHugh by driving carelessly on the Comber Road in Dundonald and while unfit through drink or drugs on 1 June 2021.
The self-confessed killer driver also entered guilty pleas to driving dangerously on the Old Dundonald Road, driving while disqualified, possessing class C drugs pregabalin and diazepam, driving without insurance and perverting the course of justice in that he “participated in the removal of Charlotte McHugh from the scene of a road traffic collision on the Comber Road, Dundonald”.
Following Cunningham’s 11th hour confession, defence KC Brian McCartney asked for sentencing to be adjourned to allow time for the defence team to obtain a pre-sentence probation report as well as a psychiatric report.
He further applied for Cunningham to be granted bail in the meantime, submitting that he had not committed similar offences in the 14 months he was on bail and that his temporary release would facilitate the reports easier than if he was in custody.
Judge Geoffrey Miller KC told the senior barrister however that Cunningham “is facing a substantial sentence of immediate custody, of that there can be no doubt.”
Expressing the court’s sympathy and condoles to Charlotte’s mother, the judge said Cunningham had committed “these dreadful offences while on bail for driving while disqualified and associated offences and I believe I would be abrogating my responsibilities if I were to readmit him to bail where he knows with certainty that he is going to prison for many years.”
Earlier today two other men 39-year-old Karl O’Neill and 35-year-old Thomas Reynolds, whose address are also subject to the same reporting restriction, entered guilty pleas to offences of assisting an offender.
O’Neill, who was Ms McHugh’s partner at the time, admitted that he had “participated in the removal of Charlotte McHugh from the scene of a road traffic collision on the Comber Road, Dundonald” whole Reynolds admitted that he had helped remove her body from a vehicle to an address in Dundonald.
At an earlier court 33-year-old Tanya Galway admitted assisting offenders and there remains outstanding charges against a sixth defendant, 34-year-old Adrian Aitken who is currently charged with two counts of perverting justice.
The charges arise as a result of the death of Charlotte McHugh on 1 June 2021 when police received a call at 4:30am about a road traffic collision involving a black BMW on the Comber Road, Dundonald close to its junction with the Hillhead Road.
When officers arrived however, the occupants of the car were reported to have left the scene in a Suzuki car but a short time later, police received a report from the ambulance service that they had been called to an address in in Dundonald where the body of the 27-year-old mother-of-three was found.
None of the facts surrounding the charges were opened in court today but freeing O’Neill and Reynolds on bail pending the completion of pre-sentence reports, Judge Miller also warned them they faced the prospect of a jail sentence for offences “for which they should hang their heads in shame.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.