A former Rolls-Royce senior engineer and charity founder who had been given the all-clear from cancer died after a van driver, texting a WhatsApp group at 82mph, crashed into his car.
Crash Details
Derby Crown Court heard that Aaron Roberts, 38, was driving his Ford Transit at 82mph when he ploughed into the rear of Roger Bowler's Nissan Micra on the A38 just north of Derby on July 1 last year. Moments before the collision, Roberts had been sending photographs and messages to a WhatsApp group titled 'Lads, lads, lads'. The impact propelled the van into other vehicles and the central reservation.
Mr Bowler, 73, a father and grandfather who founded and chaired the Derby Sight Loss Leisure Group charity, suffered multiple injuries including numerous broken ribs. He was airlifted to hospital. His daughter Lindsey said he passed away seven months later, in March of this year, after his cancer returned.
Victim Impact Statement
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Lindsey Bowler said: 'I lost him in March but I feel like I lost him in the crash, it absolutely destroyed me.' She added: 'Only 24 hours after being told he was cancer-free, I got a call from the police to say he was being airlifted to the hospital following a car accident. I can’t explain the shock I felt going from elation to complete devastation.'
She described her father as 'fully independent with a sharp mind' before the crash, and said he worked as a chief combustion engineer for Rolls-Royce for 44 years.
Judge's Remarks
Judge Shaun Smith KC jailed Roberts for two years, saying: 'You were driving in the most appalling manner. You were doing 82mph at the point you thumped into the back of Mr Bowler’s car and you had been driving at 89mph until five seconds before the crash. Shortly prior to that you had been on your phone sending not just a photo but also text. Nobody had a chance.'
The judge added: 'At the point of collision you were travelling in a straight line and what does that tell me? It tells me you did not see a single thing because you were not concentrating as you had been looking at your phone. As I say, it was an appalling piece of driving.'
Prosecution Evidence
Prosecutor Declan Austin told the court that evidence showed Roberts had been travelling at 51mph in a 40mph limit and joined the 60mph limit dual carriageway at 76mph. He had been on his phone between Etwall and the collision, receiving and sending photos to the WhatsApp group. Witnesses reported hearing 'the screech of brakes' as the van careered into Mr Bowler's car.
Sentencing
Roberts, of Nesbitt Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He had no previous convictions but had received three and six points for two speeding offences months before the crash. His barrister, Lesley Pidcock, urged the judge to suspend the sentence, saying: 'He was driving too fast and he knew that was dangerous but he stopped at the scene and sat down with one witness telling them 'I tried to stop but I was too late'.'
The judge disqualified Roberts from driving for two years and 10 months in addition to the jail term.
