A motorist charged with causing the deaths of a father and son in a head-on collision was using a Portuguese driving licence obtained while previously banned from Northern Ireland’s roads, the High Court has heard.
Ivan Petrov (32) claims he suffered a diabetic blackout just before the crash near Killylea, Co Armagh on December 27 in which Peter Devlin (63) and Loughlin Devlin (28) were killed.
Three other members of the victims’ family were also seriously injured, including a five-month-old child who suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
Prosecutors also revealed that Petrov was behind the wheel of a car imported from Bulgaria but never officially registered within the UK.
Details emerged as he was refused bail due to the risk of flight.
Petrov, of Newry Road in Armagh, currently faces two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and a further charge of causing grievous bodily injury by dangerous driving.
The court heard he was behind the wheel of a Bulgarian-registered Audi vehicle which veered completely across the Killylea Road and collided with the victims’ Mercedes car.
Loughlin Devlin, who was driving the Mercedes, and his father Peter, were both pronounced dead at the scene of the early afternoon accident.
Peter Devlin’s wife Ursula remains in hospital receiving treatment for multiple injuries, including a ruptured spleen, broken pelvis, shattered leg bones and a fractured neck.
Another female passenger sustained breaks to her ankle and hand, along with torn ligaments and a ruptured achilles.
Her infant son suffered head injuries which will require ongoing medical supervision.
Petrov, who received hospital treatment for a fractured arm, told police he had travelled from Armagh to attend a pharmacy and Post Office.
The Bulgarian national claimed he is a Type 1 diabetic who felt his blood sugar levels were low prior to the fatal collision.
The last thing he remembers was stopping to eat a bar of chocolate and then feeling fine to continue driving, according to his account.
Crown counsel Fiona O’Kane said: “He has no recollection of the actual accident and believed that he was travelling potentially to his mother’s house, as that is the route he would have taken.
“But his memory is such that he doesn’t even know why he was making the journey.”
The barrister disclosed how Petrov’s car was imported from Bulgaria in July last year.
Despite the defendant claiming the Audi has been mechanically tested and insured, Mrs O’Kane insisted that the validity of documentation for taking it onto UK roads has not yet been confirmed.
She also told the court: “He was also driving on a Portuguese driving licence which he obtained in November 2018.
“He had been disqualified from driving in Northern Ireland until at least January 31, 2019.”
Opposing bail, the prosecutor contended that the accused could abscond, based on his links to the Republic of Ireland, Portugal and his native Bulgaria.
“This is a man capable of deceit who ignores rules and regulations,” Mrs O’Kane added.
Petrov’s lawyer responded that he had voluntarily gone to a police station in Belfast after his release from hospital.
He may have blacked out despite the attempt to boost his blood sugar levels, the court heard.
Defence counsel said: “In time we hope to obtain medical records to ascertain if this was some sort of hypoglycemia episode.
“There is nothing to suggest he was driving dangerously prior to this, it seems he just tragically veered onto the other side of the road.”
Denying bail, however, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan ruled that it was a premature application due to the current risk of flight.
She stated: “These are clearly highly tragic circumstances where two people have lost their lives and others were seriously injured.”