Family’s anger after Ronan’s killer gets five-year sentence

By Róise Collins

THE family of Ronan Wilson have said they are ‘devastated’ following today’s sentence hearing at Donegal Circuit Court.

The nine year old Tyrone boy was killed when he was knocked down in a hit and run incident while on a family day out in Bundoran.

Today, Sergee Kelly, with an address at Upper Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo, was sentenced to five years in prison and disqualified from driving for 20 years for dangerous driving and causing the death of Ronan Wilson, who was from Kildress, at Atlantic Way, Bundoran, on September 23, 2023.

Following the court hearing, family members and friends gathered together outside.

Ronan’s uncle, Stephen McCauley, spoke on behalf of the heartbroken family outside the court, while his mother tightly hugged a teddy made from her Ronan’s favourite hoodie.

“No sentence could ever bring Ronan back but five years for the life of our boy is truly pathetic,” Mr McCauley said.

He described Kelly (pictured below) as a ‘remorseless coward’.

“Sergee Kelly mowed down our wee boy and with this he drove a knife through our hearts. He then fled the scene, a remorseless coward.

“He then partied the night away while our child lay dying in the street. In doing this, he turned a knife and our family has been in agony ever since.

“The sentence handed out today doesn’t ease our pain in any way,” Mr McCauley added.

Ronan’s uncle also spoke strongly of how this sentencing sends the wrong message to other young reckless drivers.

He referred to the ‘blight suffered by communities up and down the country, and particularly in Donegal’.

He concluded by saying the family needs time to come to terms with the loss of Ronan, who he described as a ‘force of nature’.

“We will miss him beyond measure and he leaves a void that will never be filled.”