Whitchurch man, 21, faces jail after crash which killed Shrewsbury father
A 21-year-old Whitchurch man has been warned to expect a significant jail term after he admitted causing the death of a father of two from Shrewsbury by dangerous driving.
Joseph Bonwick also admitted a second charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving following a crash on the A534 near Wrexham, in April last year.
Bonwick of Tilstock, Whitchurch, appeared in the dock at Mold Crown Court yesterday and admitted both offences. He pleaded guilty to causing the death of Adrian Gammon and causing serious injury to John Leyland by dangerous driving.
Judge Niclas Parry rebailed Bonwick for sentence on July 17 and imposed an interim driving ban in the meantime.
He told Bonwick he would understand that he had admitted “an extremely grave” offence.
Bonwick had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity which would entitle him to the maximum reduction in sentence, he said.
“But you understand that you must prepare yourself for a significant custodial sentence,” Judge Parry told him.
Bonwick was told that in view of his age and character a pre-sentence report would be required.
Mr Gammon, 48, from Shrewsbury, was killed in the crash and six other people were injured.
At the time his devastated family released a short statement to say that he was a family man with a wife and two children.
Details of the prosecution case have not yet been opened.
Two air ambulances joined police, two fire crews from Wrexham, two emergency ambulances and two rapid response paramedics at the scene.
The accident shut the road for more than three hours.
Today the court heard that there was an issue about the speed the defendant had been driving on his approach to the bend where the collision occurred.
Prosecuting barrister Mark Connor said that it was the prosecution expert’s case that the speed was between 64mph and 75mph.
But he agreed with the judge the prosecution would be unable to prove to the required standard any speed above 64mph.
In his police interview the defendant told officers that he had been driving at 55mph but he was now prepared to accept that he had been driving at between 55mph and 64mph, which was acceptable to the prosecution.
