THE family of a West Belfast man killed in a road traffic collision over nine years ago have welcomed the findings of an inquest into his death.
Norglen man John James Ireland (20) died after the scrambler bike he was travelling on collided with a car on the Monagh Road on September 13, 2014.
The inquest at Belfast Laganside Courthouse heard evidence from eyewitnesses, investigating police and forensic and accident reconstruction experts. The court heard from two road traffic collision experts, Damian Coll of FSNI and Colin Glynn of Denis Woods Associates in Dublin, both of whom provided expert analysis of the scene, as well as the vehicles and the helmets and clothes of the two persons involved in the accident.
A second person who was also on the bike had denied that he was driving it at the time of impact and maintained both previously to police and during his evidence to the coroner that he was the pillion passenger.
Over the past nine years, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has twice decided not to prosecute the second person on the motorcycle in respect of the incident despite investigating police recommending prosecution.
The Coroner Anne-Louise Toal found that John James Ireland was the pillion passenger on the motorcycle and not the driver; that the motorcycle was driving at 20 to 30 mph when it impacted with the car, a Vauxhall Astra and that one of the brakes on the bike was ineffective.
John's mother, Sally said: "We have campaigned for justice for John for nine years now.
"Our requests for prosecution of the person who we believe was responsible for the accident have been rejected twice by the PPS with no proper explanation.
"We very much welcome the factual findings of the coroner today on how the accident occurred which resulted in John’s death at the age of 20.
"We now intend to ask the Director of the Public Prosecution Service to reopen this case and consider prosecuting the person or persons responsible for the accident so that justice can take its course.
"We would like to thank the Coroner Mrs Toal for her scrupulous and objective analysis of the evidence this week.
"We would also like to thank our solicitor Patricia Coyle and barrister Patrick Taggart BL for helping us seek justice for John. We will continue to pursue this.
"We hope that as a result of the coroner’s findings, due process will now take place."
