Crash-deaths boy racer is jailed for eight years
AMAN who admitted killing a couple in a head-on smash on a notorious stretch of road has been jailed for eight years.
Hours before the fatal crash in north Wales’ ‘Evo Triangle’, boy racer Shaun Goldstraw was bragging about his souped-up car on social media.
Goldstraw, who admitting causing the deaths of Tracy Haley and Darren Lowe, of Bagillt, Flintshire, by dangerous driving, had taken a photo of his Renault Clio in a retail park car park, where he had met up with other ‘petrol-heads’ ahead of a journey to north Wales.
Bragging he ‘still had the dirtiest car at the meet’, he said: “Waiting on a few more, and then we convoy up the Evo Triangle’.
A matter of hours later Ms Haley was dead and both Mr Lowe and Goldstraw were in comas in hospital. Mr Lowe died in March last year, having never recovered from the February 27, 2016, crash.
Goldstraw, 22, smashed into the couple’s Mercedes at speeds of up to 107mph.
He had been driving laps around the three roads that comprise the socalled Evo Triangle, including the A543 where the crash happened.
He was seen by witnesses to be dangerously out of control moments before the impact, and had been on the wrong side of the road when he smashed into the couple’s car.
Yesterday, as he was sentenced to eight years for causing death by dangerous driving, Judge Niclas Parry told him he had been ‘out of control’.
He said: “You travelled for the sole purpose of using the roads of North Wales as a racetrack.
“This process involved you driving along three single-track roads in the shape of a triangle. Your groups driving activities involved testing your vehicles. A photographer would film these activities.
“The footage take would be published on social media. You drove three time around this circuit as citing laps, a term used by racing drivers.
“You drove these three citing laps in one direction. You were excited at driving in an anti-clockwise direction. You reached speeds of 103-107mph Because you were travelling out of control, your vehicle slid into the opposite carriageway.
“You’re driving immediately before the collision was such that one witness was heard to shout about you ‘What is he doing?’ Your victims had not time to do anything whatsoever. It was avoidable and entirely caused by your excessive speed. It’s the most serious example of causing death by dangerous driving.”
Goldstraw, from Leek, Staffordshire, received serious injuries after being thrown out of the car on impact and later said he could not recall the crash. He told the court he was ‘truly sorry’ and that he ‘deserved to be punished’.
The judge also banned him from driving for 12 years after his release.
The sister of Tracy Haley said she was so badly affected by her loss she now has nightmares about losing her children.
Debbie Orme explained how Tracy’s death was the second road death to hit her family, and came only a week after her mother died.
In her victim impact statement at Mold Crown Court, Mrs Orme said: “I have nightmares about losing my children. I feel incredibly angry.
“It would have been Tracey’s 50th birthday in February and instead of arranging a party for her we were choosing flowers for her grave. I hope that Shaun Goldstraw will be made to account for the fact that two families will never be the same again.”
She also revealed they had lost a brother after being hit by a drunk driver 30 years ago and had called for the maximum sentence for Goldstraw.