Grieving family’s wait for killer driver to admit guilt
THE family of a woman killed by a speeding driver have spoken of their loss and grief – and of their gratitude to members of the public and medics who tried to save her.
Phyllis Mahoney was being driven home from her weekly game of bingo when Nathan Clarke slammed into the car she was travelling in after he lost control on a roundabout.
The 87-year-old suffered catastrophic injuries in the crash and never regained consciousness. Her daughter Patricia Halfyard, who had been driving, suffered life-changing injuries, while a passenger in Clarke’s car, Gary Pugh, also suffered terrible injuries in the Port Talbot crash.
Clarke was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence.
In a statement, Mrs Mahoney’s family said it had been a “long and hard” two years since the crash, but they had “finally got to hear Nathan Clarke say the word ‘guilty’.”
They said: “The family of the late Phyllis Mahoney wish to thank the
CPS barrister Carina Hughes, police officers PC Lee Christer and PC Guy Mayer for their constant commitment in obtaining evidence that has been presented before the court, also to the judge on making the right decision on sentencing Nathan Clarke. Our thanks also to PC Nerys Reeve, our family liaison officer, who has supported and guided us throughout.
“This has been a long and hard two years for our family and finally we got to hear Nathan Clarke say the word ‘guilty’.
“No amount of sentencing will bring our mother back, but justice has been served, and now as a family we can finally grieve at our loss.
“We would like to thank all emergency services who attended at the scene, the members of public who assisted, and doctors and nurses at Morriston Hospital. We are forever grateful for their help.
“As a family, we are devastated by our loss and wish private time to reflect on the past two years.”
On the evening of March 31, 2019, mother and daughter Mrs Mahoney and Mrs Halfyard went for their weekly bingo session at the Naval Club in Aberavon. Carina Hughes, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that after the game the pair set off for home in Mrs Halfyard’s Peugeot, travelling along Seaway Parade. Coming in the opposite direction was 28-year-old Clarke in his BMW 1 series M Sport car.
The court heard that as the vehicles approached a roundabout on the dual carriageway, Clarke was travelling at a speed of around 50mph and witnesses described seeing the BMW “swerving violently” and being “completely out of control” as it tried to negotiate the traffic island.
Clarke clipped a kerb, collided with the central reservation, and his car was “launched” into the air over the barrier. The BMW slammed into the bonnet of the oncoming Peugeot and continued to rotate as it flew through the air before landing on the footpath on the far side of the opposite carriageway.
Mrs Mahoney suffered multiple traumatic injuries including rib fractures, a partially collapsed lung and kidney injuries. The pensioner never regained consciousness and died in hospital on April 2. Mrs Halfyard suffered fractured ribs, a fractured chest bone, and fractured bones in her neck and back. Also injured was Clarke’s passenger, who was left with a fractured pelvis and bleeding on the brain.
Clarke, of St Helier Drive, Sandfields, Port Talbot, was sentenced to three years in prison, and banned from driving for two and a half years – the ban extended by 18 months to cover the time he is in custody – after entering guilty pleas. He must pass an extended test before he can get his licence back.
His brother, 35-year-old Andrew Clarke, of Canal Side, Aberdulais, Neath – who had been driving along the same stretch of road at the time of the crash in his Seat Leon FR – had originally been jointly charged with the same three offences but following his sibling’s guilty pleas, and after consultation with the family of Mrs Mahoney, the prosecution decided not to seek a trial against him and formal not-guilty verdicts were returned in his case.