25-year-old pleads not guilty to manslaughter of Garda Gary McLoughlin in Burt in 2009

A 25-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of  a Garda in Donegal in December 2009.
24-year-old Garda Gary McLaughlin, a native of Co Leitrim, was killed when his patrol car was involved in a collision with another car at Lisfannon, Burt.
The trial of a man charged with the manslaughter of a garda has heard he was driving at speeds of over 180 km per hour on the morning his car hit the patrol car being driven by Garda Gary McLoughlin.
Opening the case at Letterkenny Circuit Court this afternoon, Senior Counsel Alex Owens said the jury will hear evidence that just after 1am on 13 December 2009 detectives in an unmarked car at Bridgend noticed something unusual at a petrol station.
25-year-old Martin McDermott, of Castlegrove, Raphoe left the petrol station in a red Opel Astra and travelled towards Letterkenny at speeds up to 180km per hour. The garda car followed with its lights flashing.
Mr Owens said McDermott then turned his car round headed for the border. He was living in Derry at the time.
He was driving towards Derry when he hit a marked Garda car being driven by Garda McLoughlin.
Garda McLoughlin, from Leitrim, died the next day in hospital.
25-year-old McDermott, has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter.
Mr McDermott has also denied a further charge of endangering the life of Garda Bernard Mcloughlin.
However, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing Garda McLoughlin’s death.
Mr McDermott has admitted a number of other charges, including drink driving, driving when disqualified and driving without insurance