Case No. 1834Dangerous driving causing death, failing to offer assistance, failing to stop · Co. Donegal · 23 Sep 2023
Family of Ronan Wilson (9) ask DPP to appeal sentence of driver who killed him
Ronan Wilson, a boy aged nine, was killed on 23 September 2023 when struck by a silver Skoda Octavia estimated to be travelling at between 105 and 111 kph in a 50 kph zone at Atlantic Way, Bundoran, Co Donegal. The driver, Sergee Kelly, 24, of Upper Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, fled the scene and went on a drugs and alcohol binge before being arrested the following day. Kelly was charged with four offences under the Road Traffic Act, pleaded guilty at Donegal Circuit Court in April 2025, and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and a 20-year driving ban. The family has since asked the DPP to appeal the sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted8 Apr
2 reports - Sentenced11 Apr
3 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Ronan Wilson, 9, was killed when struck by a silver Skoda Octavia at Atlantic Way, Bundoran, Co Donegal, at around 9.20 pm on 23 September 2023.
- Garda forensic collision investigators estimated the car was travelling at between 105 and 111 kph in a 50 kph zone, and the impact propelled the boy 58 metres down the road.
- Kelly fled the scene and CCTV showed him parking at a nearby caravan park, then walking back to Bundoran to visit pubs and an amusement arcade before taking a taxi home.
- A blood sample taken 17 hours after the collision showed a positive reading for cocaine, and Kelly admitted taking cocaine and smoking cannabis when he got home.
- Where
- The incident occurred at Atlantic Way, Bundoran, Co Donegal; Ronan Wilson was from Kildress, Co Tyrone, and Sergee Kelly was from Upper Mullaghmore, Co Sligo.
- Cause
- A postmortem found Ronan died as a result of massive brain trauma.
- Investigation
- The entire incident was captured on CCTV, and Kelly was arrested the following day and brought to Ballyshannon Garda Station for questioning.
- Charges
- Kelly was charged with four offences under the Road Traffic Act, including dangerous driving causing death, failing to stop, and failing to offer assistance, and tendered signed pleas to all.
- In court
- Kelly pleaded guilty at Donegal Circuit Court sitting at Letterkenny Courthouse before Judge John Aylmer in April 2025.
- Sentence
- Kelly was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, reduced from an eight-year starting point by one-third for his signed plea, and banned from driving for 20 years.
- Other details
- Kelly had two previous convictions, including a four-year sentence in 2019 for a serious assault in Bundoran in 2017 and a €2,000 fine for careless driving after being caught at 160 kph.
- The family of Ronan Wilson has asked the DPP to appeal the sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal, arguing it is unduly lenient.
83 statements extracted from the articles
- whatKelly was driving his silver Skoda Octavia at speeds of between 105 kph and 111 kph in a 50 kph zone. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatKelly struck Ronan Wilson with such force that he was propelled 58 metres down the road from the point of impact. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatKelly fled the scene of the crash in his car. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatCCTV showed Kelly pulling his car into a nearby caravan parking, punching in the keycode to raise the barrier, and appearing to roll a cigarette. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatPost-impact the car was travelling at 91 kph when the brakes were applied but did not stop. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatRonan Wilson was 30 metres from the car when he stepped onto the road and was struck one second later. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatRonan, his older brother Callum, and another young boy had been walking to a nearby shop to get fruit drinks. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe windscreen and front side windows of the Skoda were tinted to below the 65% legal threshold. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe driver's seat was declined to such an extent that Kelly's vision was greatly reduced and he was barely able to hold the steering wheel. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatWhen interviewed, Kelly admitted colliding with the child and leaving the scene but claimed he was driving at 50 kph max. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatCCTV showed Kelly walked back into Bundoran to meet friends, visited pubs, went to an amusement arcade, and later took a taxi home. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatKelly admitted taking cocaine and smoking cannabis when he got home. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- whatKelly struck Ronan Wilson with such force that the boy was propelled 58 metres down the road from the point of impact. (irishtimes.com)
- whatKelly fled the scene after the collision. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA couple, Maria Roberts and Michael McKinney, were walking along Atlantic Way when they noticed a car coming at speed from behind them. (irishtimes.com)
- whatRonan, his older brother Callum and another young boy had been walking to a shop to get fruit drinks when the incident happened. (irishtimes.com)
- whatCCTV footage showed Kelly walked back to Bundoran to meet friends, visited a number of pubs, went to an amusement arcade and later took a taxi home. (irishtimes.com)
- whatRonan's mother Emma said she rushed to her son, lay down beside him and held his hand on the road. (irishtimes.com)
- whatKelly was travelling at speeds of up to 111 km/h when he struck Ronan Wilson (irishtimes.com)
- whatRonan Wilson was propelled 58 metres down the road from the point of impact (irishtimes.com)
- whatKelly fled the scene in his silver Skoda Octavia (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- whatAggravating factors included the speed, leaving the scene, and a binge of drink and drugs (irishtimes.com)
- whatKelly had previously been charged with careless driving after being found driving at 160 km/h (irishtimes.com)
- whatRonan Wilson was nine years old at the time of the incident (irishmirror.ie)
- whatRonan was propelled 58 metres down the road from the point of impact (irishmirror.ie)
- whatKelly was driving at speeds of up to 111km/h (irishmirror.ie)
- whatRonan Wilson, 9, was killed when struck by a car at Atlantic Way, Bundoran, on 23 September 2023. (irishtimes.com)
- whatDriver Sergee Kelly fled the scene and went on a binge of alcohol and drugs as the boy lay dead on the road. (irishtimes.com)
- whatKelly was travelling at a speed in excess of 100km/h in a 50km/h zone when he struck the child. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe child was propelled 58m down the road by the impact. (irishtimes.com)
- whereKelly is from Upper Mullaghmore, Co Sligo. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe incident occurred at Atlantic Way in Bundoran, Co Donegal (irishtimes.com)
- whereSergee Kelly is from Upper Mullaghmore, Co Sligo (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe incident occurred at Atlantic Way in Bundoran (irishmirror.ie)
- whereRonan Wilson was from Kildress in Co Tyrone. (irishtimes.com)
- whereSergee Kelly is from Upper Mullaghmore in Co Sligo. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe crash occurred at Atlantic Way, Bundoran, at around 9.20 pm on 23 September 2023. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe incident occurred at about 9.20 pm on 23 September 2023 in Bundoran. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe incident occurred on 23 September 2023 (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- causeA postmortem found Ronan died as a result of a massive brain trauma. (irishtimes.com)
- causeRonan died as a result of massive brain trauma (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe entire incident was captured on CCTV. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- investigationA phone log from Kelly's Samsung Galaxy phone showed he was not on his phone at the time of the impact. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationKelly was arrested the day after the incident and brought to Ballyshannon Garda Station for questioning. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- investigationA blood sample taken 17 hours after the collision showed a positive reading for cocaine. (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- investigationGarda forensic collision investigators estimated the car was travelling at speeds of between 105 km/h and 111 km/h. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationCCTV footage showed Kelly pulling his car into a nearby caravan park after the incident. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe incident was captured on CCTV (irishtimes.com, irishmirror.ie)
- investigationKelly was arrested the following day (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA forensic collision investigator estimated the car was traveling between 105km/h and 111km/h (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeHe was charged with four offences under the Road Traffic Act and tendered signed pleas to all. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeKelly was charged with four offences under the Road Traffic Act and signed pleas to all, including failing to remain at the scene or offer assistance. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeKelly was sentenced for dangerous driving causing death, failing to stop, and failing to offer assistance (irishtimes.com)
- chargeA charge of failing to keep the vehicle at the scene was marked as taken into consideration (irishtimes.com)
- chargeKelly was charged with four offences under the Road Traffic Act (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeKelly tendered signed pleas to all charges including dangerous driving causing death (irishmirror.ie)
- courtKelly appeared before Donegal Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtKelly pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death at Donegal Circuit Court. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge John Aylmer adjourned the case for final sentencing on Friday. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe sentencing was passed at Donegal Circuit Court by Judge John Aylmer (irishtimes.com)
- courtKelly came before the court on a signed plea entitling him to a one-third reduction (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe sentencing took place at Donegal Circuit Court sitting at Letterkenny Courthouse (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceSergee Kelly was jailed for five years (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceSergee Kelly was banned from driving for 20 years (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe judge placed the starting point for sentencing at eight years in prison (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe sentences were to run concurrently (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceKelly was sentenced to five years' imprisonment (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceKelly was banned from driving for 20 years (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceJudge Aylmer placed the starting point for sentencing at eight years (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceKelly was entitled to a one-third reduction due to his signed plea (irishmirror.ie)
- sentenceKelly was jailed for five years and disqualified from driving for 20 years at Donegal Circuit Court. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceA guilty plea entitled Kelly to an automatic reduction of a third of the sentence, with a starting point of eight years. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceFive-year sentences to run concurrently were imposed for failing to offer assistance and failing to stop. (irishtimes.com)
- otherKelly has two previous convictions, including a two-year jail sentence in 2019 for a serious assault in Bundoran in 2017. (irishtimes.com)
- otherIn 2022 Kelly was fined €2,000 after being caught speeding at 160 km/h in April 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- otherRonan Wilson's mother Emma and father Dean were in court, having travelled from Kildress, Co Tyrone (irishtimes.com)
- otherKelly was born in Belarus and adopted by a family in Sligo at age three (irishmirror.ie)
- otherKelly had a diagnosis of ADHD from an early age (irishmirror.ie)
- otherKelly was previously sentenced to four years in 2019 for a serious assault in Bundoran in 2017 (irishmirror.ie)
- otherKelly was previously sentenced to four years (two suspended) in 2019 for stabbing a youth in the face. (irishtimes.com)
- otherKelly was fined €2,000 for careless driving after being caught driving at 160km/h. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe maximum sentence for dangerous driving causing death is 10 years imprisonment. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe family hope the DPP will ask the Court of Criminal Appeal to review the sentence. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 18 Apr2025Family of Ronan Wilson (9) ask DPP to appeal sentence of driver who killed him
Family requests DPP to refer the five-year sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal, arguing it is unduly lenient given Kelly's prior convictions for stabbing and careless driving, and the severity of the incident (speed in excess of 100km/h in a 50km/h zone, child propelled 58m).
victim, Ronan Wilson, 9, male, irish (judged from name)Ronan Wilsonconvicted, Sergee Kelly, 24, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sergee Kelly - 11 Apr2025Driver who killed young boy, 9, jailed for five years and banned for 20 years
Full sentencing report: Judge John Aylmer at Donegal Circuit Court sitting at Letterkenny Courthouse sentenced Kelly to five years (reduced from an eight-year starting point by one-third for guilty plea) and a 20-year driving ban. The article provides extensive detail on the collision, forensic findings, CCTV evidence, and victim impact statements.
victim, Ronan Wilson, 9, male, irish (judged from name)Ronan Wilsonconvicted, Sergee Kelly, 24, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Sergee Kelly - 11 Apr2025Driver who knocked down and killed boy (9) and went to pub after incident jailed for five years
Provides full details of the sentencing hearing at Donegal Circuit Court, including the judge's reasoning, aggravating factors, the one-third plea reduction, and the victim's family's reaction outside court.
victim, Ronan Wilson, 9, male, irish (judged from name)Ronan Wilsonconvicted, Sergee Kelly, 24, male, named, irish (judged from name)Sergee Kelly - 8 Apr2025Driver who knocked down and killed boy (9) went to pubs and amusement arcade after incident, court hears
Describes the guilty plea hearing at Donegal Circuit Court, including witness testimony from a couple who saw the car approaching at speed, CCTV evidence of Kelly parking at a caravan park and later visiting pubs and an amusement arcade, forensic collision estimates of 105–111 km/h, a positive cocaine reading in a blood sample taken 17 hours later, Kelly's background (adopted from Belarus, ADHD, two prior convictions), and the judge adjourning for sentencing.
victim, Ronan Wilson, 9, male, irish (judged from name)Ronan Wilsonaccused, Sergee Kelly, 24, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Sergee Kelly - 8 Apr2025Driver who killed boy, 9, in Donegal went on drugs and booze binge after crash
Plea hearing details: speed estimates (105–111 kph), CCTV evidence of post-incident behaviour, forensic findings on vehicle tinting and seat position, positive cocaine blood sample, victim impact statements from parents, aunt and grandmother, Kelly's Belarusian adoption and ADHD diagnosis, prior convictions, and adjournment for sentencing.
victim, Ronan Wilson, 9, male, irish (judged from name)Ronan Wilsonaccused, Sergee Kelly, 24, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Sergee Kelly