Courts / Louth / Report
Killer driver who made Snapchat videos fails in bid to overturn 9-year sentence
Summary
Keith Lennon, aged 23, was convicted of manslaughter after his 3‑litre Audi, driven at 225 km/h, collided with a Peugeot 108 on the N1, killing Mary (82) and Kevin (58) Faxton and Bryan Magill (24). Lennon had been filming Snapchat videos while driving at 105 km/h above the limit. He pleaded guilty in February 2021 and was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, a 20‑year driving ban, and a 14‑year custodial term, with the judge describing his car as a "weapon". Lennon appealed the severity of the sentence, arguing the judge had over‑penalised him. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice George Birmingham, rejected the appeal, stating the custodial sentence was inevitable and that the Snapchat videos and high speeds made the case particularly reckless. The court upheld the original nine‑year term and the 20‑year driving ban. The decision was delivered on 1 April 2022.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Killer driver who made Snapchat videos fails in bid to overturn 9-year sentence. Charges or matters: three counts of manslaughter at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- February 29, 2020 Incident
- February 2021 Incident
- 2022-04-01 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: three counts of manslaughter at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Lennon, of Forest Park, Dromintee, Co Armagh, later appealed the severity of his jail sentence. At a previous hearing Patrick Gageby SC, for Lennon, told the court that there were "not very many cases in the law books concerning motor manslaughter". "There wasn't any real comparator we could lay before the court and in those circumstances we submit there has been an error [in sentencing]," Mr Gageby added. "This was not a crime of intention," he continued, adding that the headline sentence of 14 years identified by Judge Baxter had been "too high, even when you consider the egregious circumstances of the case, which resulted in the deaths of three human beings".
Places mentioned
- Dundalk
- Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
Road Traffic Stage Appeal Violent Crime
Related court reports
- Worker sacked over punch-up with takeaway driver wins job back
- Legal first sees miscarriage of justice certificate for IRA membership conviction quashed
- Lorry driver who imported €1m in cannabis jailed for five years
- Explosive device allegedly stored in National Museum at Collins' Barracks
- On-bail home invader who dragged car owner along ground has sentence cut
- Amateur fighter who 'brutally killed' allegedly abusive mother - kicking her to death and stepping on her 'lifeless body' as he left her to die - gets 6.5 years
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request