Man jailed for death of Finchampstead man

A MAN from Bray has been jailed for nearly six years for causing the death of a man from Finchampstead last year.

Tony Reed, 27, of Fifield Road, appeared at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday where he was sentenced in connection with the collision which took place in Warfield last year.

At around 9.10pm on February 11, 2016, Reed lost control of his blue Subaru Impreza on Bishop’s Lane, colliding with trees before bouncing across the other side of the carriageway, eventually landing 12 metres away on the other side of the road.

The car was substantially damaged and

Reed’s passenger, 29-year-old Daniel Roach, from Finchampstead, sustained serious injuries. He died on the way to hospital.

Reed was breathalysed by police at the roadside, which showed he was over the legal alcohol limit (37ug/100ml). As he had also suffered injuries in the collision, he was taken to hospital, where he refused to provide a blood sample for analysis. He was arrested following his release from hospital, but refused to answer any questions when interviewed.

A lengthy police investigation followed and Reed was charged with causing death by careless driving and failing to provide a specimen of blood on April 20 this year.

He pleaded guilty to the offence on June 16. At Tuesday’s sentencing, he was given a five year and eight month custodial sentence, and was banned from holding a licence for seven years and 10 months.

Following the sentencing, Senior Investigating officer, Police Constable Dave Beeson of the Serious Collision Investigation unit based at Three Mile Cross, said: “Our thoughts remain with Daniel’s family at this difficult time. They have been very patient throughout the past 16 months during the police investigation.

“Since the collision, Reed has always answered ‘no comment’ to all questions put before him, and as he failed to provide an evidential sample, we will never fully know exactly what was in his system at the time of the collision.

“I hope that Daniel’s family can find some closure with this result, and that Reed realises the seriousness of his actions and the tragic consequences that they resulted in.”