Driver jailed for while using his
A FAMILY have been left heartbroken after a pensioner was killed in a head-on collision with a driver using his mobile phone at the wheel.
Arthur Bowen, described by his family as “a real gentleman”, died days before his 82nd birthday while his brother Dillwyn, 76, was left suffering flashbacks following the crash.
The victim’s twin sister Ann Rogers said: “Arthur lived a full and active life. He was so fit and healthy, we believe he would have lived to over 100 to see a card from the Queen.”
Gregory Powell, 25, from Protheroe Avenue in Bridgend, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed at Cardiff Crown Court.
The court heard the incident occurred on the A4064 between Llangeinor and Brynmenin around 3pm on April 2.
Prosecutor David Pugh said it was a clear day and the surface of the single carriageway road with a 60mph speed limit was dry.
Mr Bowen was travelling north in a Ford Fiesta with his brother in the passenger seat, while Powell was driving south in a Vauxhall Astra.
The court heard the defendant was speaking to his father Gareth on his mobile phone as he drove around a “sweeping” left bend.
Mr Powell confirmed he received a call from his son just after 3pm that “ended abruptly” before he said there had been an accident that “looked bad”.
An eyewitness told police he saw the defendant drift into the middle of the road for several seconds.
He added the driver did not react and appeared to be distracted, although he did not see him using a mobile phone.
The prosecutor said the victim’s Fiesta flipped on to its roof and slid down the road, leaving the brothers trapped upside down by their seatbelts.
Mr Bowen was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales with injuries