Nearly a decade after Sophie Brimble died in a high-speed street race, her family has made an urgent plea for public support of a petition calling for changes to the law, after the driver responsible walked free from court without punishment.
Sophie Brimble, from Crickhowell, was 20 when she died in July 2017 after the Volkswagen Polo she was travelling in crashed into a lamppost on King Street in Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent. The car was driven by her boyfriend, Jay Bayliss, who lost control while racing another driver through residential streets with a 30mph speed limit at speeds of around 70mph to 80mph.
Court Ruling and Absolute Discharge
A jury found that Jay Bayliss had caused Sophie's death by dangerous driving. However, he was deemed unfit to plead because of brain injuries he suffered in the crash. Earlier this year, Newport Crown Court imposed an absolute discharge, meaning he received no punishment and was legally allowed to retain his driving licence.
Following the ruling, Sophie's sister, Aimee Coombes, 32, launched a UK Parliament petition calling for an overhaul of the law surrounding defendants who are deemed unfit to plead. She argued that the current system leaves families without justice when a defendant cannot stand trial in the usual way.
Family's Campaign for Justice
Speaking to WalesOnline, Aimee said: "It has been hard, a lot of time has been put into this petition." She added: "This is not just to get justice for Sophie. This is also so other families don't have to go through what we've been through. Just giving that opportunity, that'll be a huge achievement to us."
The petition calls for the law to be changed so that cases involving defendants deemed unfit to plead can be dealt with more appropriately, addressing concerns about accountability and public safety. Aimee has said that the law is over 200 years old. She says: "What happened to us was death by dangerous driving, but actually this law covers all aspects of crime and as a family, we can't believe that it's been left nearly 200 years."
Petition Deadline and Response
The petition is due to close on November 8 and so far has attracted over 26,000 signatures. In a social media post created by Aimee earlier this week, she states: "Our petition closes on November 8 and we are still nowhere near the 100,000 signatures we desperately need. I honestly cannot put into words how heartbroken and disappointed I am that, despite everyone's efforts, we haven't managed to get there yet. Right now, we need nothing short of a miracle."
Paying tribute to Sophie, Aimee said: "Losing Sophie was hard enough. Learning to live in a world without her is something no family should ever have to face. But the thought of Sophie never getting the justice she deserves is a pain that is impossible to explain."
The Ministry of Justice responded to the petition in August after it passed 10,000 signatures, acknowledging that the law needs updating and confirming that reforms are being considered. The family is now hoping to reach the 100,000-signature threshold to bring the issue before MPs.
Aimee has vowed to continue campaigning for her sister regardless of the petition's outcome, saying she is prepared to fight for months or years to ensure Sophie's voice is heard. She also thanked the thousands of people who have signed the petition, shared it and sent messages of support to the family.
