Yvonne Wyeth was killed when she was struck from behind by a Vauxhall Combo van driven by Jason Taylor, which then collided with two HGVs and a car. Witnesses stated that Taylor made no attempt to avoid her.
Taylor, who was disqualified from driving at the time of the collision, had a blood alcohol level of two and a half times the legal limit and was also found to have traces of diazepam and cocaine in his system. He had 31 previous convictions for 74 offences, including eight convictions for drink-driving offences and six for driving while disqualified, his most recent disqualification coming four months before the fatal collision. He had never held a full driving licence.
Taylor pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit and to two charges of driving while disqualified (one of which was for the day before the incident). He was sentenced in March 2016 to a nine year driving ban and seven years’ imprisonment for causing Wyeth’s death, and was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for each charge of driving whilst disqualified, with all three custodial sentences to run concurrently.