19 January 2024 , 20:11
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A firefighter was called to a car crash scene to find his own daughter being pulled from the wreckage.
Adrian Smith, 49, recognised 21-year-old Ella Brooke Smith by her distinctive tattoo and says the experience - including seeing her placed under a blanket - still "haunts" him. The care worker was killed by teenager learner drivers Jago Clarke and Emma Price as they raced each other in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on June 13, 2021.
Clarke was at the wheel of Miss Smith's car when he lost control on a bend and veered across the road into an oncoming vehicle between Broadhaven beach and Haverfordwest. She suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene, while the passenger in the oncoming vehicle, Daisy Buck, was gravely injured. She was placed in an induced coma and underwent numerous surgeries.
On the evening of the crash, a group of friends had driven to the beach to "chill" - among them were Clarke and Price, both 19 at the time. The former was seen drinking Budweiser beer and was "bragging" about how he was going to drive and overtake everyone driving. Another member of the group told him not to drive because it was "stupid".
Ella was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in 2021 (Athena Pictures)Miss Smith then joined the group to collect Clarke in her Ford Ka and they all set off towards Haverfordwest in a convoy of three vehicles. A Fiat Punto left the beach car park first, followed by Price in her blue Citroen and then Clarke driving Miss Smith's white Ford.
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As the convoy drove along the B4341 road, Clarke and Price drove competitively with each other, at times reaching speeds in excess of 70mph. As they approached the village of Portfield Gate, Clarke lost control on a bend and clipped the nearside verge before careering across the road and into the path of an oncoming Seat car, causing a high impact collision.
The two defendants denied causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving but were convicted after trial at Swansea Crown Court, reports WalesOnline. The pair returned to the dock on Friday to be sentenced. In a series of statements read to the court, the parents and siblings of Miss Smith detailed the devastating impact her death had had on the family.
Ella with heartbroken parents Adrian and Maria (WALES NEWS SERVICE)Her mum Maria said a bond between a mother and daughter was like no other, and she described her daughter as kind and caring with an infectious laugh, and as somebody who wanted the simple things in life and wanted to help others. She told the defendants in the dock she "despised" and "hated" them both, adding: "You drove her to her death."
She said the 10 minutes her daughter spent in the pair's company out of her 21 years of life had cost her her life, and the former Withybush Hospital worker said the pair's "stupidity and ignorance" had killed her daughter and robbed her of her future. She said she would never forgive them for what they'd done and what they put her family through. She added that she thought Clarke had "manipulated and taken advantage" of her daughter to get behind the wheel of her car.
In his statement, Miss Smith's father, firefighter Adrian, detailed how he had been called out to deal with a multi-vehicle crash on the evening of June 13 and while examining the scene saw a casualty being removed from a car and placed under a blanket, and how he saw a tattoo on the casualty's leg and realised it was his daughter.
Statements from both parents were read out in court (Athena Pictures)He said he had promised he would always be there for his daughter but that day he wasn't able to help, reassure or save her. He said that since that moment he had "been on a journey that no father should go on", and that he was still "haunted" by what had happened.
Mr Smith said the defendants "drove my daughter to her death while living out some sort of fantasy" and racing each other along the road. He said the defendants had driven in a reckless and arrogant way with a complete disregard for others, and then had shown an "appetite for self-preservation", adding that he hoped they were both proud of themselves.
Statements were also read out on behalf of Miss Smith's siblings, while Miss Buck and Rowan Fair - the occupants of the car Clarke crashed into - also read statements detailing the terrible impact the collision had had. Price, now aged 21, of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, denied racing with Clarke on the day in question and denied positioning her Citroen in the road to stop Clarke from overtaking her. She denied playing any part in the collision.
The close knit family is devastated (Athena Pictures)
Ella with her boyfriend Ashden King (WALES NEWS SERVICE)Clarke, also now aged 21, and of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - who was badly injured in the crash and was in a coma for two days - told the jury he could not remember anything about the incident but accepted causing the death of Miss Smith. He had admitted the charge of causing death by driving while unlicensed and uninsured, and a charge of causing death by careless driving as a lesser alternative to causing death by dangerous driving. Price was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and causing death by driving while unlicensed and uninsured.
Jon Tarrant, for Clarke, said the defendant had never sought to mitigate or deflect the blame against him, and accepted his actions caused "tragic consequences for many, many people". He said in his dealings with Clarke the defendant's remorse had been "palpable". He asked the judge to take into account his client's age and maturity.
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Dyfed Thomas, for Price, asked the judge to take into account the age and level of maturity of the defendant at the time of the incident as well as her lack of previous convictions and the 23-month delay between the collision and his client's first appearance before a magistrates court. He said Price was the primary carer to her one-year-old child, and was currently pregnant with her second child.
Judge Paul Thomas KC said Clarke and Price had been inexperienced and unqualified drivers when they raced along country lanes in Pembrokeshire at speeds that at times exceeded 70mph. He told the pair: "Cars kill - especially when they are being driven by people showing off as you were with no thought to the risks you were putting other people at". He added: "In the circumstances you created, an accident was almost inevitable."
The judge said he was prepared to accept that Clarke had no memory of the collision due to the injuries he had received but he told Price she had "lied through your teeth" during the trial and tried to blame others, adding she "took not one iota of responsibility" for what she did.
Both defendants were sentenced to 10 years in prison. They will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. They were also banned from driving for 11 years and must pass an extended test before they can get a licence.
Speaking after the sentencing, Sergeant Sara John of Dyfed-Powys Police's serious collision unit, said: "This has been an extremely complex investigation from the outset, which required us to obtain telematics data from manufacturers in Italy. This line of enquiry was time consuming but crucial in proving that both Clarke and Price were driving competitively, and ultimately driving dangerously at the point of impact."
"This case is yet again another example of the tragedy inflicted on families by the sheer arrogance and stupidity of dangerous drivers. Both Clarke and Price displayed a flagrant disregard for the safety of other road users that day, a decision which cost Ella her life and destroyed the lives of her family. The collision also resulted in Daisy Buck sustaining serious injuries which will impact her for the rest of her life."