Laois resident accused of hit-and-run blamed deer for van damage

A man accused of a fatal hit-and-run collision in Kildare 18 months ago which resulted in the death of a teenager told gardaí that damage to his van was caused by a deer, a trial has heard.

Marin Silaghi (41) with an address in Ballybrittas, Co Laois has pleaded not guilty to three charges related to his alleged failure to stop and keep his vehicle as well as offer assistance at the scene of the crash on 10 November 2024 with the intention of evading liability.

The accused, a Romanian national, also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of driving a vehicle he knew to be defective on the same date.

A sitting of Naas Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday heard Kedagh Moore (16) was fatally injured as a result of a collision some 250 metres from his home at Graigues, Robertstown, Co Kildare while he was walking on the R403 Allenwood-Prosperous road at around 12.40am.

Counsel for the DPP, Jordan Fletcher BL, said a postmortem had shown the teenager had died from severe, traumatic brain injuries due to a road traffic collision.

Mr Fletcher said the deceased had left his home and was walking in the direction of Prosperous to visit a friend at the time of the crash.

He told the jury that the case was not about the nature of the accused’s driving on the night but about his alleged leaving of the scene of the collision.

The prosecution counsel said the trial would hear evidence that the accused travelled onto Navan and was stopped by gardaí on his way back home at around 3.15am.

When asked about a smashed window, broken headlight and bumper hanging off his white Peugeot van, Mr Fletcher said the accused had told gardaí that he had hit a deer somewhere near Navan.

He said Mr Silaghi also had an agreement with the company which owned the vehicle that he would have to pay for any damage caused to it.

Defence counsel, Paul Murray SC, said his client was making several admissions, including that he was driving a 211-reg vehicle on 10 November 2024 which was involved in a collision on the R403.

Mr Murray said evidence was also accepted which showed that Mr Moore had died as a result of a road traffic collision.

The victim’s father, John Moore, gave evidence that his son had come downstairs shortly before midnight for his ritual of having two slices of toast before going to bed.

Mr Moore said they spoke about their favourite team, Liverpool, before Kedagh went back upstairs.

He recalled how he shouted out good night to both his son and his daughter, Sadhbh, at 12.10am and both replied back.

Mr Moore said he fell asleep quickly before being woken at 2.10am when his wife, Glenda, said gardaí were outside who informed them that Kedagh had been involved in an accident.

He recalled his wife saying it was not their son before she went upstairs and came back to say Kedagh was not in his bedroom.

Asked by Mr Fletcher if there was anything unusual about his son’s behaviour earlier that evening, Mr Moore replied: “He was just his usual beautiful self.” Another witness, Kaitlin Farrell, gave evidence that there was a van about 500 metres ahead of her as she turned onto the R403 to collect her boyfriend in Prosperous.

Ms Farrell said the vehicle kept “swerving in and out” as well as braking before it pulled into a grass verge on the left-hand side of the road.

She said the van had been crossing the road “but only on the driver’s side.” Ms Farrell said she could see a broken front light on the van and damage to its bonnet as she slowed down.

Asked why she had slowed down, Ms Farrell replied: “I thought it was a drunk driver.” After collecting her boyfriend, the witness said she wanted to go back home via the same location as there was “something suspicious” about what she had seen.

Ms Farrell said there were men at the scene controlling traffic and she had seen a boy’s body lying on the ground.

However, the witness said she had not seen the white van on her return journey although she had been “keeping an eye out for it.” Another witness, Shona Brereton, said she had been driving home from meeting friends in Allenwood after 12.30am when she saw a person wearing black clothing walking on the other side of the road in the direction of Prosperous.

Ms Brereton said she remembered thinking how dangerous it was.

Another motorist, Jackie Spain, described how she came upon a pedestrian around the same time on her side of the road and had to move out or swerve to go around them.

Several witnesses gave evidence it was raining heavily that night, while there was no lighting at the location of the collision.

Evidence was also heard from another motorist of a white van with damage to its light and bonnet driving “very slow” along the R403.

A couple who came across the teenager lying on the road next to the grass verge described their shock at coming upon the scene.

Ian Mason told the court he believed the victim was dead because of the way he was positioned.

The court also heard that an ambulance crew returning from attending the fatal crash alerted gardaí after noticing a van parked at Killina National School in Carbury, Co Kildare at around 5am.

Paramedic, Charles Rice, gave evidence that they suspected the vehicle may have been involved in the earlier accident.

Inspector Donal O’Sullivan, who carried out a search of the collision site later that day, said no evidence of dead animals was found at the scene.

The trial before Judge Elva Duffy and a jury of six men and six women, which will resume on Friday, is expected to last five days.