A MOTHER and son, who were out for a drive to "lift her spirits", died almost instantaneously when their car was struck from behind by another travelling at 140mph, an inquest has heard.
Mary (88) and Kevin Faxton (58) from Bessbrook, Co Armagh, were travelling northwards on the N1 at Carrickarnon, Dundalk, Co Louth, on February 29 2020 when they were killed.
They were struck by Keith Lennon, from Forest Park, Dromintee, Co Armagh, who had sent Snapchat videos to friends showing he was driving his Audi at 225kph just before he drove into their Peugeot shortly after 2am.
The crash also claimed the life of Lennon's back seat passenger Bryan Magill (24) from Newry, Co Down.
Lennon has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to three counts of manslaughter at Dundalk Circuit Court earlier this year.
The inquest yesterday heard Lennon and his male front seat passenger left the crash scene and a third man, who was in the back of the Audi with Mr Magill, had not cooperated with the emergency services.
Garda Sergeant Freda McCague said in her deposition the man had been "defiant and resolute" in not saying how many people were in the Audi when he was asked a number of times by the emergency services who wanted to ensure they had identified all of the casualties.
The inquest was told Mr Faxton would take his mother Mary for a drive to lift her spirits.
Afterwards Yvonne Campbell, daughter of Mary Faxton and sister of Kevin Faxton told RTÉ the family is unhappy with Lennon's jail sentence.
"(It was) far too little, nothing will bring my mother and brother back but it is ridiculous the sentence that he got," she said.
