Video shows terrifying moment teenage driver causes ‘life-changing’ head-on crash

A newly-qualified driver was “showing off” to his female passenger when he lost control on a bend and ploughed into an oncoming car, a court has heard. Both Gareth Jones’ passenger and the driver of the car he hit suffered life-changing injuries in the head-on crash.

A judge at Swansea Crown Court described the teenager’s driving as “utterly ridiculous” and “stupid in the extreme” – but said the defendant’s young age would save him from a sentence of immediate custody. Brian Simpson, prosecuting, told the court the collision happened on the afternoon of May 30, 2023, on the B4333 near Newcastle Emlyn.

He said a red Jaguar car was heading towards Newcastle Emlyn and its driver was slowing down on the approach to a sharp right-hand bend when he saw a white Dacia car rounding the corner and crossing onto the wrong side of the road in front of him. The court heard the driver of the Jaguar swerved to try to avoid a crash but there was a “heavy impact” which caused significant damage to the front of both vehicles. The driver of the Jaguar got out of his car and spoke to the driver of the Dacia – the then 17-year-old Jones – who apologised and said he was going too fast. The court heard the speed limit on the stretch of road in question was 60mph.

The prosecutor said the driver of the Jaguar initially declined medical treatment from paramedics at the scene but subsequently went to hospital with whiplash injuries to his back and neck and tenderness to his rib cage. A scan then found a bleed on the brain and he was kept in hospital for observations.

The court heard the female passenger in Jones’ car suffered a laceration to her liver, a contusion on the lung, and a fractured vertebrae in the lower back. She had to wear a back-brace for three months. The prosecutor said the passenger told police that Jones had picked her up from Carmarthen but that due to the nature and speed of his driving that day – something that was out of character for him – she had asked him to turn around and take her back to Carmarthen.

Gareth Jones lost control going around a bend and drove into a head-on collision
(Image: CPS Cymru)

In statements which were read to the court by the prosecutor the victims set out the psychological and physical impact of the crash. The driver of the Jaguar said he now feels anxious and vulnerable when on the roads and said he suffers from PTSD episodes and “brain fog and confusion”, and he said headaches “have become the norm”.

The man said things like doing DIY and playing snooker have now become very difficult, and said he feels the effects of his crash are impacting on the way he does his job. He concluded by saying despite the long-term problems he knows he was very fortunate to walk away from the crash, and he said he still struggles to come to terms with the way Jones was driving.

In her statement Jones’ passenger said the emotional impact of the crash had been “overwhelming”. She said she struggles to sleep and suffers with nightmares, and said she has lost her self-confidence. The teenager said she had to give up her studies as a result of the crash but was planning to re-start college, and said she was finding the recovery process “challenging”.

Jones ploughed straight into the front of the oncoming Jaguar
(Image: CPS Cymru)

Gareth Jones, now aged 19, of Greenfield Terrace, Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

Ian Ibrahim, for Jones, said the defendant had been doing 49mph at the bend and accepted that was “excessive for the vehicle, excessive for the corner, and excessive for his level of experience”. He said his client had passed his driving test just three months before the collision. The barrister said the defendant had also been seriously injured in the collision and spent 17 days in hospital during which time he underwent open bowel surgery. He said Jones was currently studying at Gower College and hopes to go to university, and he said his client “knows the devastation he has caused”.

Judge Paul Thomas KC told Jones that on the day in question he had been “showing off” behind the wheel and he described the defendant’s driving as “stupid in the extreme” and “utterly ridiculous”. He said courts all too frequently have to deal with cases of young drivers who get their “thrills” from treating cars like some sort of toy while putting the lives of other road users at risk.

The judge said the appropriate starting point for sentencing on the guidelines was one of three years in prison had the defendant been an adult but he said he was obliged to reduce that by between one third and one half because of his age – he said he would reduce it by the minimum amount of a third to two years. The judge said he then had to reduce the sentence by a quarter for the defendant’s guilty plea, resulting in a sentence of 18 months.

Judge Thomas said given the sentence was less than two years he was then obliged to consider the imposition guidelines, and said given everything he had read about the defendant he could not say that there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation – as a result he said Jones’ sentence would be suspended, and he told the defendant: “The only thing that saves you from immediate custody is your age.”

Jones was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and to do 250 hours of unpaid work in the community. The defendant was disqualified from driving for three years and must pass an extended driving test before he can get a licence. The judge asked the prosecution barrister to explain to the victims why the court has passed the sentence it had.

Judge Thomas called the delay in the case coming to court “lamentable” and said it was not fair on either the victims or the defendant.

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