A man has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for causing the death of a young woman in a road crash while driving her to a cancer treatment appointment. Lona Wyn Jones, 22, died when the car she was travelling in overturned on the A494 near Bala, Gwynedd, in May 2012.
Ian Wyn Edwards, 24, from Bala, admitted causing death by dangerous driving. Caernarfon Crown Court heard he had driven like a 'lunatic' and was attempting to overtake another vehicle at about 80mph when he lost control. The judge told Edwards he could never 'make good the heartache' caused.
The court was told that shortly before the crash, a woman who was overtaken by both drivers commented: 'They are driving like lunatics, somebody is going to die.' Edwards had been driving 'far too close' behind another car and pulled out to overtake, swerving to avoid the other vehicle which apparently crossed the central line.
Edwards, who lost two fingers in the crash, was jailed for three years and nine months, including a previous suspended sentence for assault. He was also banned from driving for four years and must take an extended test. The judge noted that Edwards, a binman now unable to work, had been driving aggressively and far too fast.
Lona Wyn Jones was a carer described as 'happy, well and full of life' on the day of her death. She was being taken to a hospital appointment for cancer treatment when the crash occurred.
