Man who drove car without licence before fatal crash on A48 has been fined
A man who drove a car before it was involved in a collision which killed three people has been fined for driving without a licence and insurance. Driver Rafel Jeanne, 24, and passengers Darcy Ross, 21, and Eve Smith, 21, died in the crash while the two remaining passengers, Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were injured but survived.
Joel Lia, 28, had been dropped off before the collision on the A48 near the St Mellons[1] area of Cardiff[2] took place on 2.03am on March 4 this year. But he was behind the wheel at some point earlier before the crash occurred.
Court papers previously revealed the Volkswagen Tiguan veered off a slip road approaching a roundabout and came to rest in a small copse of trees. The five occupants of the car were discovered on March 6, around 46 hours after the crash happened. An ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is looking into the length time taken by Gwent Police[3] and South Wales Police[4] to find the group, who were reported missing by family members.
(Image: John Myers)
The victims had been on a night out The Muffler social club in Maesglas, Newport[6], on March 3 and then travelled in the Volkswagen Tiguan just under 40 miles to the Trecco Bay Caravan Park in Porthcawl[7] where they are said to have spent some time in one of the caravans on site. They left the site a short time later and were last seen at about 2am in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff dropping off a sixth member of their group, Joel Lia. The group been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas – prior to the collision.
Lia, of Rumney, Cardiff, was charged with driving without a licence or insurance in Porthcawl, having driven the Tiguan an hour before the crash, and later pleaded guilty to both charges. His case was dealt with under the single justice procedure where magistrates handle non-custodial criminal prosecutions in private rather than open court.
Detective constable Joanne Mahony took a witness statement from Lia in which he admitted driving the car even though he did not have a licence. “During the course of the statement Joel stated that he had driven along the M4[8] from Porthcawl to his sister’s address in Llanederyn[9] at approximately 1am on March 4,” she said.
“Whilst the interview was not monitored Lia asked me if anything would happen to him as he knew he did not hold a full UK driving licence and he had admitted driving. In light of this investigation CCTV inquiries were conducted along the route of the M4 towards Cardiff to capture the vehicle.”
Eve Smith, 21, Rafel Jeanne-Actie, 24 and Darcy Ross, 21
CCTV from a petrol station in Porthcawl showed the Volkswagen Tiguan pulling on to the forecourt at 1.08am and leaving three minutes later. “On stopping at the garage Joel Lia exits the rear offside of the vehicle and, when the driver exits the driver’s seat, Joel Lia then enters the driver’s seat. He then drives the vehicle off the forecourt,” police documents state. The papers go on to say that DC Mahony, the officer in the case, took a signed statement from Lia in which he admitted driving without holding a full UK licence.
“All other persons in the vehicle were intoxicated, by Joel’s admission, as they had been drinking alcohol and inhaling nitrous oxide throughout the course of the evening,” the documents state. “The vehicle did not display L plates which can be seen on CCTV. The officer in the case has reviewed the CCTV as part of this unrelated case and can positively identify Joel Lia as the person entering the driver’s seat.”
At an administrative hearing at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Lia was fined £120. He was also ordered to pay £90 in court costs, a £48 victim surcharge and was disqualified from driving for six month.
Shane Loughlin pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified, but did so before the collision took place. He will be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court[10] on September 5[11].
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References
- ^ St Mellons (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Cardiff (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Gwent Police (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ South Wales Police (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Get the latest court cases sent to your email inbox with our Crime & Punishment newsletter (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Newport (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Porthcawl (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ the M4 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Llanederyn (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Cardiff Crown Court (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ on September 5 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here (www.walesonline.co.uk)