A CO Down lorry driver has denied causing the death of a cyclist almost two years ago.
At Newry Crown Court, Neil James McVeigh (36) entered a not guilty plea to causing the death of Martin Poland by driving dangerously on the Annalong Road in Kilkeel on September 13 2020.
The 54-year-old father of one, who was from the Ballymartin area, died five days after his bicycle was in a collision with a lorry.
In court on Thursday, defence counsel Kevin Magill revealed it was a somewhat unusual case in that there was no contact between McVeigh’s lorry and Mr Poland or his bike but rather "it’s a lorry passing a cyclist" so he was seeking further engineering evidence.
Prosecuting counsel Geraldine McCullough said the trial would take "four to five days" to hear evidence and statements from 40 witnesses.
Judge Gordon Kerr KC freed McVeigh, from Ballykeel Court, also in Ballymartin, on continuing bail and listing the trial for December 5, and added that he would review the case in two weeks.
