A 19-year-old man named Owain Hammett-George was sentenced to six years in prison for causing the death of two teenagers following a high-speed crash. He was driving his car at an average speed of 70-78 mph in a 30 mph zone on the B4436 in Bishopston, Swansea, on 31 May 2022 when he lost control and collided with a concrete pillar. Ben Rogers and Kaitlyn Davies, both 19, were killed instantly, whereas 17-year-old Kasey Thomas suffered a brain injury and a broken neck and was taken to hospital.
At the trial, the court heard that Hammett-George had passed his driving test in February 2022 and was driving dangerously just three days later. Before the fatal accident, his father Dewi George had lied to the authorities about overspeeding so that his son would avoid acquiring points and possibly a driving ban. The older George was later imprisoned for four months for perverting the course of justice, and he watched as his wife broke down in tears while their son was sentenced.
According to the prosecutor, Ian Wright, Hammett-George had picked up Kaitlyn and Kasey from work, intending to drop them off at their respective homes. Unfortunately, while driving at high speed, he hit a grass bank, sending the car flying through the air and rolling. All three passengers were thrown out of the vehicle, and the police described the wreckage as the “worst collision damage they have ever witnessed.”
Analysis of Hammett-George’s text messages revealed that he had driven dangerously for several months after passing his test, and he had already received a speeding ticket for exceeding the 30 mph limit. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Geraint Walters stated, “You were nowhere near ready to be in charge of a motor car.” Possibly, Hammett-George’s parents had ‘overindulged’ him, as evidenced by his father’s assisting him in avoiding a driving ban few months beforehand.
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