The 29-year-old is also charged with causing grievous bodily injury to an 11-year-old boy, also by dangerous and careless driving.
13:35, 29 Apr 2026Updated 15:14, 29 Apr 2026
Tiernan McCann who is accused of causing a collision which caused the death of a teenager
A North Belfast man appeared in court and was remanded in custody today (Wed), accused of causing a collision which caused the death of a teenager and has left another child in a critical condition.
Appearing handcuffed in the dock of Limavady Magistrates Court, sitting in Coleraine, 29-year-old Tiernan McCann confirmed he understood the eight charges against him.
McCann, from Flax Street in Belfast, is charged with causing the death of Callum Hutchinson by driving dangerously and carelessly on the Belfast Road at Nutts Corner on 26 April this year.
The 29-year-old is also charged with causing grievous bodily injury to an 11-year-old boy, also by dangerous and careless driving.
He is further charged with driving while unfit through drink or drugs, driving at excess speed, using his mobile phone while driving and having an incorrect form of registration mark, alleged to have been committed on the same date.
At the conclusion of the hearing, defence solicitor Andrew Kinney said while he realised words cannot assuage the “fear and grief of the family but he has asked me to state for the record, his complete and utter regret for his actions.”
While Detective Constable Baxter gave evidence that he believed he could connect McCann to each of the charges, the court also heard that “admissions were made” by the defendant that he had taken both alcohol and drugs.
He outlined that around 07.45 on Sunday morning, police were already in attendance on the Belfast Road and speaking to participants of a horse and cart charity event when the accident occurred.
Officers’ attention had already been drawn to a VW Golf because of its speed, said the officer, adding that when a VW Passat was waiting to turn right into the forecourt of a filling station, it crashed into the rear of vehicle.
The Passat sustained “catastrophic rear damage and came to rest with the rear of the car in a hedge,” while the Golf being driven by McCann was “briefly engulfed in flames.”
Officers were quickly on the scene, but McCann had already got out of the driver’s seat and was spotted a short distance up the road, where he collapsed.
“He asked about his friend who he says was driving but he appeared to be under the influence,” DC Baxter said.
Callum Hutchinson (left) died in the collision as 10-year-old Christopher Faulkner remains critical
Sixteen-year-old Callum, an 11-year-old boy and another male, had been in the backseat and the officer told the court that with the help of members of the public, they were taken out of the wrecked Passat.
“Police started CPR on Callum until the ambulance arrived but despite efforts, he was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the investigator told the court, adding that the 11-year-old was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
He told District Judge Peter King the last update he had was that “the next 24 hours will be critical” for the child.
McCann was also taken to hospital for non-life threatening injuries, and after he was released on Tuesday, he was interviewed by police.
During interviews, CCTV footage of the impact was shown to McCann and DC Baxter said that as well as expressing his remorse and regret, “I did see his eyes were watering.”
“On seeing the footage, I think the reality hit him of the severity of what has occurred,” said the officer.
Regarding objections to bail, the court heard that just over ten years ago McCann was dealt with for vehicle theft and driving with excess alcohol, and that subsequently, he was convicted of driving while disqualified.
Under cross-examination from Mr Kinney, the officer agreed that McCann had answered police questions during interviews “to the best of his ability and what he could remember.”
He also agreed with the suggestion that fatal driving cases can take years between the incident and being dealt with by the courts.
DC Baxter highlighted however, that the PSNI investigate every fatal road traffic collision and while there were 56 last year, “there have been 29 deaths on our roads this year.”
He told the solicitor while there is significantly more work, that does not mean that investigations “should be put on the long finger.”
In his submissions, Mr Kinney conceded that while McCann has 14 previous convictions including some which are directly relevant, he emphasised there was nothing relating to the manner of the defendant’s driving standard since 2017.
He argued that with a £1,000 surety available, that McCann could be granted bail subject to a package of strict conditions.
Judge King said however, causing death while under the influence of drink or drugs “makes it a difficult bail application.”
He added that looking at McCann’s previous offending, “albeit of some antiquity,” shows that he committed driving offences and then ignored a court order by driving while banned.
“On balance, you are not a suitable candidate for bail,” the judge ruled, remanding McCann in custody and adjourning the case to 26 May.
“Had I not been faced with that record, I would have been looking for a cash surety a multiple of what was offered this morning,” he told Mr Kinney, suggesting that it should have “an extra zero.”
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