Man guilty of killing woman, 20, in ‘80mph crash race’
A DRIVER who engaged in an 80mph race with another car, which led to the death of a 20-year-old woman, has been found guilty of causing her death.
Neil Brooks, 49, denied racing with Jay Bayliss on the A4047 King Street in the direction of Brynmawr at 12.20am on July 26, 2017, which saw their vehicles reaching speeds of 80mph in 30mph residential streets.
Sophie Brimble, from Crickhowell, who was a front-seat passenger, died as a result of her injuries after her boyfriend Mr Bayliss lost control of his Volkswagen Polo, causing it to rotate and slide towards a lamppost.
A trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard that Mr Bayliss was jointly held responsible for the collision and for the death of Ms Brimble, but that he was unfit to appear in court due to the severity of his injuries.
It was alleged that Brooks, of Lansbury Terrace, Beaufort, overtook Mr Bayliss in his Volkswagen Bora after pulling out of a 24-hour Murco garage, causing Mr Bayliss to accelerate and speed the wrong way around a roundabout before driving side-by-side with Brooks’ car.
Brooks said he did not wish to race with Mr Bayliss and just wanted to get home to his family.
When asked why he had overtaken Mr Bayliss and his friend Gareth Mapstone in another car, the defendant said he was having problems with his clutch slipping and he was concerned about the steepness of the hill he was travelling on.
But his defence was rejected by the jury yesterday, after they returned guilty verdicts to the charges of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The defendant appeared emotionless as the verdicts were returned but members of his family burst into tears in the public gallery.
The court heard that Brooks had previous convictions for dangerous driving and driving while disqualified, but these had taken place in the 1990s and his latest conviction in 2010 was for a non-driving offence.
Brooks was denied bail and remanded in custody for his sentencing, which is due to take place on Monday, November 18.
Judge Michael Fitton QC asked prosecutor Matthew Cobbe to pass on his thanks and gratitude to Ms Brimble’s family, who he said had sat through the trial with “dignity”.