Dad took speeding points for son ahead of crash which killed two …
A dad took speeding points for his newly-qualified teenage son just months before the teen was at the wheel of a car involved in a fatal crash, a court has heard. In February last year Owain Hammett-George was caught speeding in his father’s Alfa Romeo car but rather than risk his son’s newly-acquired licence dad Dewi George lied to the authorities and said he had been driving.
Three months later 17-year-old Mr Hammett-George was again driving his dad’s Alfa Romeo when it was involved in a crash on Gower that claimed the lives of two of his passengers – 19-year-old friends Kaitlyn Davies and Ben Rogers. Swansea Crown Court[1] heard that even in the aftermath of the smash Dewi George continued to lie about the speeding offence and went on a speed awareness course just weeks after the fatal crash.
Sian Cutter, prosecuting, told the court that at 12.12pm on February 28 last year a police-operated speed camera captured an image of an Alfa Romeo car travelling at 35mph on Cockett Road in Swansea[2], which was subject to a 30mph speed limit. The defendant is the registered keeper of the vehicle and his son and wife are insured to drive it. The court heard that when a notice of intended prosecution was sent to the defendant he filled it in and said he had been the driver.
The prosecutor said that on May 31 Mr Hammett-George was at the wheel of his father’s car when it was involved in a late-night crash at the Northway petrol station in Bishopston, Gower, that claimed the lives of passengers Kaitlyn Davies, from Blaenymaes, and Ben Rogers from Bonymaen[4]. A third passenger was seriously injured. It is understood no other vehicles were involved in the collision.
Floral tributes left at the Northway Garage in Bishopston, Gower (Image: WalesOnline/ Gayle Marsh)
As part of the investigation into the fatal crash the police analysed the driver’s mobile telephone and on it officers found messages that indicated he may have been involved in earlier speeding offences – including talk of him having “a speeding fine to pay for” – but as far as police were concerned, the teenager had never been caught speed. Police then began to look into the defendant’s acceptance of speeding from February.
The court heard personnel records from the Slug & Lettuce pub in Cardiff[5] where George worked showed he had been on duty on the day of the speeding incident while a check of automatic number plate recognition cameras showed the defendant’s other car travelling eastward on the M4[6] in Port Talbot[7] at 7.45am that day, driving in Cardiff, and then heading back towards Swansea at just after 6pm. Meanwhile an analysis of Mr Hammett-George’s phone showed it was using a mobile mast in the Cockett area just seven minutes before the speed camera activation. Further checks of cameras in Cockett showed the Alfa Romeo in the area three times on the morning the ticket was issued while the defendant was at work in Cardiff.
The court heard that while the police investigation was continuing the defendant attended a speed awareness course on June 16 – less than three weeks after the fatal Bishopston crash. As a result of police inquiries the defendant was arrested at his place of work on November 24.
Dewi George, aged 47, of Awel Deg, Birchgrove, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. Judge Paul Thomas KC said when the speeding summons arrived at the defendant’s house requesting details of the driver it seemed George’s concern was that his son might lose the licence he had just acquired. He said whether the teenager would have lost his licence or not was not known but to avoid that possibly George claimed he had been the driver. The judge said as a result of the defendant’s actions his son “was not in any way sanctioned, nor was he given speed awareness course… he got away with it scot-free… and most crucially he learned no lesson from it”.
Judge Thomas said while the outcome of the police investigation into the crash may not be known for some time he would proceed on the basis that there is “no direct correlation” between these two events. But he added: “The anger of the families of those children must be immense and if they draw a correlation between the two events who can possibly blame them?”
Judge Thomas noted that just a couple of weeks after “tragic accident” in Bishopston – and even when he knew two young people had died and the police were investigating the incident – the defendant “continued to pretend you were the driver” and attended a speed awareness course associated with the original speeding offence.
Judge Thomas said he accepted the defendant’s remorse was sincere but he said the offence of perverting the course of justice strikes at the heart of the justice system and almost always results in immediate custody. He said he would be failing in his public duty were he to impose any sentence other than one that would deter people from acting in the same way in the future.
With a one-third discount for his guilty plea George was sentenced to four months in prison. He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The judge expressed his very sincere condolences to the families of the teenagers who lost their lives in the crash.
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References
- ^ Swansea Crown Court (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Swansea (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Get the latest court cases sent to your email inbox with our Crime & Punishment newsletter (data.reachplc.com)
- ^ Kaitlyn Davies, from Blaenymaes, and Ben Rogers from Bonymaen (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Cardiff (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ the M4 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Port Talbot (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here (data.reachplc.com)