Jordan Bannon, from Cliffe, jailed for killing primary school teacher Ben Allen in Station Road, in Cliffe
Additional reporting by Julia Roberts A hit-and-run driver who had no licence when he killed a school teacher just one week before Christmas has been jailed. Jordan Bannon was at the wheel of a VW Scirocco when he struck Ben Allen as he walked along the B2000 Station Road in Cliffe in the early hours of December 18, 2021.
The 27-year-old, who taught at Cliffe Woods Primary School, had spent the evening with colleagues and was heading to his brother's home when the fatal collision occurred at around 2.15am.
A motorist nearby later described seeing a light - believed to be the glow from Mr Allen's phone - going "up in the air like a firework" at what would have been the moment of impact. But Bannon, who had been on a night out with friends in Rochester, did not stop at the scene. Instead, with a smashed windscreen and significant damage to the front nearside, he drove to his home just a few minutes away in nearby Church Street, parked his vehicle and, after waking his brother, took anxiety medication and fell asleep.
Less than three hours later, police surrounded his bed after his car had been identified and traced from a serial number on a piece of wreckage found at the collision scene.
Having been woken by officers and told he was under arrest, the then 28-year-old remarked he was "drunk right now" and, while waiting to be taken into custody, said he wanted "to chill" before falling back to sleep. At his trial at Maidstone Crown Court in March, Bannon, now 33, denied an offence of causing death by careless driving. He claimed he had not seen the 6ft 1in, 14st, Mr Allen walking along the road and believed he had collided with a wild animal, such as a fox or badger.
Furthermore, he dismissed any suggestion he was intoxicated at the time. Bannon also denied causing death by driving while unlicensed, telling the court he did not know an application to renew his driving licence - which as a Type 1 diabetic he was routinely required to do - had been rejected months earlier. However, he was found unanimously guilty of both charges[1] after a seven-day trial and jury deliberations lasting around two-and-a-half hours.
Today at his sentencing hearing, the court heard the devastating effect of Mr Allen's death on his loved ones Regarded by pupils and staff at the village school as "an inspiration whose creativity knew no bounds", his family told of the hole left in their lives by his death.
Prosecutor Tom Dunn read out impact statements from his parents, Lester and Julie Allen, who have been married for more than three decades. His brother Tom Allen was also in attendance.
His mother's statement read: "This was the night that would change our lives.
"Ben was a lovely and caring brother, boyfriend, grandson, nephew and son. "We have been completely devastated by Ben's death. "We are a traditional family, and we are clearly missing Ben.
There's a very big hole where he is missing.
"The impact of Ben's death on the children at the school cannot be underestimated. They will remember Ben because of the positive impact on their lives. The vast majority of tributes were left by them.
"Ben's death was as tragic as it was avoidable."
Lester's statement added: "Since Ben's death, we have had to wait for what seems like a lifetime for this case to come to court. Our suffering has got worse while waiting. "I cannot take my mind off what Ben would be doing today.
Every day I see Julie and Tom suffering, while suffering myself. "The family dynamics have been destroyed."
The court also heard a statement from Isabelle Evans, who had dated Mr Allen for 11 months and had moved in with the former Canterbury Christ Church student in November 2021. They had met during the Covid lockdowns on an online dating app, and their first date was over Zoom, where they bonded over both being teachers of Year 4 classes.
As their relationship progressed, they spoke of their future together and said how they did not want to be in a relationship with anyone else.
Ms Evans' statement was read by her mum, Laura Evans: "Ben was a rare human being, having a heart of gold and also saw the best in people. He did not have a single bad bone in his body. "The idea of never waking up next to Ben breaks my heart every time I think about it.
"I was in denial for a long time. I had to put my life on pause for years.
"I have since started dating only this year. This took a long time to feel right.
"Life has changed for all of us.
I am facing a future different from the one me and Ben planned for." Lester's statement added: "We were hoping they would marry and have children. Our grandchildren have been stolen from us, and we have to go through the anniversary around Christmas time.
"We do not want vengeance, but we do want justice." At Bannon's trial, the court was told Mr Allen suffered "completely unsurvivable and essentially instantly fatal" head and chest injuries.
The section of road where the collision occurred was a long, straight stretch, with a 40mph limit, no footpaths and "very minimal" street lighting. But, despite the fact the teacher was wearing dark clothing, another car had safely manoeuvred passed him just five minutes earlier as he appeared to dance in the middle of the road, his arms outstretched and phone illuminated in his right hand.
When Mr Allen's body was found a short time later by the same motorist who described seeing 'a firework', the device's torch was still switched on and music was playing.
The court heard as she carried out resuscitation attempts, she was joined by a passer-by - one of Mr Allen's colleagues and close friends who had been at the same party that night and was also walking along the B2000. His brother also arrived on the scene, having gone out looking for his sibling when he failed to return home despite a promise of watching American Football with him.
Giving evidence, Bannon maintained that he did not see the victim before or after hitting him, and described Mr Allen's death in court as "a tragic accident". He told officers when interviewed that during his evening at Rochester's King's Head pub and Casino Rooms, he had drunk up to four spiced rums and diet cokes, as well as two Tequila Rose shots, before switching to water from 10.30pm.
He also said he had to inject insulin during the evening to stabilise his blood sugar levels. But he denied having any concerns about his ability to drive home or having consumed more alcohol than he stated. Bannon told the court he saw an oncoming vehicle, dipped his headlights and glanced in his right wing mirror as they passed.
It was then, he said, that he heard a loud bang, immediately stopped and saw his shattered windscreen.
Picture: Google Maps
But he admitted he did not get out to investigate what had happened and decided instead to continue to his home less than a mile away as he started having a panic attack. Only after parking did he see the extent of the damage to his "wrecked" Scirocco, as he described it. He maintained he still believed he had hit an animal and, having gone indoors, he woke his brother to be told he had 24 hours to report a collision.
Bannon, an insurance underwriter at the time, said he took three tablets for anxiety and began some breathing exercises before falling asleep. He was woken by police after efforts over 30 minutes to rouse the occupants failed, and officers were forced to break in through a window. His arrest was captured on body-worn camera, with one officer later describing the defendant as intoxicated, slurring his words and smelling of alcohol.
But although Bannon agreed in court that the footage showed him in an "incoherent" state, he said he had no recollection of the comments he made, including the one about being drunk, and put his behaviour down to experiencing a "severe" hypoglycaemic episode.
Jurors heard expert medical evidence which said Bannon's diabetes "had no bearing" on either the fatal collision or his intoxicated appearance on arrest. A crash investigator also stated that while Mr Allen would have been "exceptionally difficult" to see, a collision could have been avoided if Bannon's reaction times had been quick enough. Although not breathalysed on arrest, subsequent blood tests for drugs and alcohol gave negative and zero readings respectively.
The prosecution argued the defendant must have known from the extensive damage to the car that he had hit a person and had not stopped because, as the arrest footage demonstrated, he "didn't appear to be in any fit state to drive".
Picture: Stock image
But when accused by prosecutor Tom Dunn of having seen Mr Allen when it was "too late" and while "on autopilot, not concentrating and having consumed more alcohol than he was prepared to admit", Bannon replied: "That is not true in the slightest." As a Type 1 diabetic using insulin, Bannon was required to inform DVLA of his condition. However, he said he was not aware an application to renew his licence had been rejected when he failed to submit a new photograph.
His lawyer, Mark Dacey, read out part of the letter he sent to the court. It read: "I want to express sincerely my remorse that I carry with me every single day. "I accept full responsibility.
I know sorry will never be enough, but I am truly sorry. "Mr Allen will remain in my thoughts for the rest of my life." But passing his sentence, Judge Julian Smith said that Bannon had not shown remorse as he had not accepted culpability for the death of Mr Allen.
He handed him a 20-month prison sentence for causing death by careless driving and a concurrent sentence of six months for causing death while driving while unlicensed. Bannon, who cried in the dock as his sentence was read out, is also disqualified from driving for three years once his jail time is over. Judge Smith said: "I have accepted he (Bannon) was not driving aggressively, but he is responsible for his death.
"He had no driving licence and has not accepted culpability. I have concluded the sentence must be served immediately." Bannon will also have to pay a surcharge of GBP189 within six months.
A 7ft wooden Wolf sculpture in honour of Mr Allen and crafted by Lester, who is a cabinet maker, was unveiled at Cliffe Woods Primary School last summer.
Photo: Cliffe Woods Primary School
The oak carving is not only a nod to the name of his class but also to the "values he championed of community, courage and always looking out for one another". KentOnline can now reveal that Bannon's trial was originally due to start in January this year, but was delayed by two months after his brother Daniel was killed in a motorcycle accident just a few days before Christmas last year. The crash, which also resulted in the death of 36-year-old Chatham mum Syntia Franczak, occurred on the A228 Pembury Northern Bypass on December 20.
An inquest opening heard it was "likely" that 36-year-old Mr Bannon, a mechanical engineer from Hoo, was the rider of the Triumph motorbike with Ms Franczak his pillion passenger. Investigating officer Detective Constable Kayleigh Archer said: "This is a tragic loss of life that could have been avoided had Bannon paid due care and attention. "His decision to drive that night has cut an innocent life short and left his victim's family without a beloved son and brother.
As a much loved teacher, the impact of his loss has been felt throughout the local community.
"For Bannon to hit someone and leave them dying in the road shows his utter lack of humanity, and to deny any culpability demonstrates his complete lack of remorse.
"While the consequences of his actions are irreparable, we hope that Bannon's sentence will give those affected some measure of closure and a sense that justice has been served."
References
- ^ unanimously guilty of both charges (www.kentonline.co.uk)