Antrim GAA player Kavan Keenan has admitted causing serious injury to a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash.
As Keenan stood in the dock of Antrim Crown Court and his victim looked on from the public gallery, the 26-year-old was re-arraigned on four of the six charges against him.
Keenan, from Millfield in Ballymena, admitted causing grievous bodily injury by driving carelessly on the Glenravel Road on October 26, 2024.
He also entered guilty pleas to driving without insurance, as well as failing to report and failing to remain following an accident which caused injury.
Following Keenan’s admissions, prosecuting counsel Suzanne Gallagher asked for the two remaining offences, aggravated vehicle theft and failing to stop, to be marked as left on the books.
The charges arose after a Peugeot Partner van struck a pedestrian on the Glenravel Road in Martinstown, just before 9pm that Saturday evening.
At the time, it was reported that the victim, a woman in her 30s, sustained “potentially life-changing” injuries as a result of the hit-and-run incident.
The allegedly stolen van was recovered later that evening and it was found to have sustained frontal damage.
Following the re-arraignment on Monday, Ms Gallagher told Judge Peter Irvine KC that given the pleas, there is a mandatory disqualification, “and I would invite the court to impose that from today (Mon).”
Defence counsel Patrick Taggart conceded that when Keenan is ultimately sentenced, he will be banned “and you will be able to determine the length of that ban.”
“But there are other factors to be considered in sentence,” he told the judge, adding that Keenan “is in full-time employment and his job is at risk” if he was put off the road from now.
Judge Irvine confirmed, “I am not going to impose that.”
While Mr Taggart asked the court to direct a pre-sentence report from the Probation Board, Ms Gallagher said she would also be furnishing a Victim Personal Statement in addition to expert medical reports.
She added that while those reports have been obtained for the parallel civil proceedings, “they could be of assistance” in the plea and sentence.
Keenan, who plays for his county side as well as Antrim league team All Saints GAC, was released on continuing bail and Judge Irvine said he would deal with the case on February 6.