A Co Tyrone woman appeared in court yesterday accused of causing the death of a pensioner in a six-car motorway crash.
Standing in the dock at Craigavon Magistrates Court, Melissa Nugent (33) confirmed she understood the three charges against her.
Nugent, from Clonmore Road near Dungannon, is accused of causing the death of Margaret Buchanan (80) and grievous bodily injury to Margaret Ball and Isabella Heaney by driving carelessly on the M1 on April 8 last year.
The women were members of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church in east Belfast and were travelling in a car between Moira and Lurgan when the crash happened at around 5.30pm that Friday, leading to the closure of the motorway.
Nugent declined to give evidence or call witnesses during the preliminary inquiry.
Releasing her on her own bail of £500, District Judge Bernie Kelly returned the case to Craigavon Crown Court and ordered her to appear there for arraignment on November 21.
Meanwhile, a woman has been sentenced to 200 hours' community service and disqualified from driving for a year for causing the death of a 51-year-old by careless driving in July 2014.
Elaine Hill (42), of Dunnabraggy Road, Moneymore, was returning home from a night shift at Antrim Area Hospital while Joyce Wilson was driving from Magherafelt to Cookstown where she worked when the collision happened on the Moneymore Road at around 9am.
Derry Crown Court heard that an eyewitness told police she saw Hill's vehicle coming towards her halfway across the white line and tried to avoid the car but it struck Ms Wilson's vehicle.
A prosecution lawyer said there was no evidence of drink, drugs, speed or mobile phone use and Hill had no explanation for what caused the crash.
Judge Philip Babington said she was "regretful and remorseful" but had fallen below "careful and competent driving".
