A MOTORIST who caused the death of Unison area organiser Roger Bevan by his dangerous driving has been jailed for two years this afternoon.
Jack Leon Isaac Weston, aged 22, overtook two vehicles in one manoeuvre before losing control and colliding head on with Mr Bevan’s Volkswagen Golf.
Both were trapped inside their vehicles. Mr Bevan was declared dead at the scene from multiple injuries while Weston was taken to Aberystwyth’s Bronglais hospital where he spent a week being treated for serious leg fractures.
Weston, of Tir Bach, Cilcennin, near Lampeter, admitted causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to pass an extended driving test before getting his licence back.
Ian Wright, prosecuting, told a packed Swansea Crown Court how Weston knew the B4337 Cilcennin to Cross Inn road well.
But at 5.45pm on July 14 last year he became impatient with two slow moving cars in front of him.
Mr Wright said Weston would have been aware that he was approaching a sharp right hand bend but decided to overtake both vehicles at once in his powerful R type Honda Civic.
That forced Benjamin Tiltman, who was approaching him in his Mercedes van, to brake sharply.
Mr Tiltman later told police Weston’s driving had been “alien” to the narrow country road and he thought he might have been doing 70mph as he struggled to pull the car back into the nearside lane.
He said he had never seen driving like it in 20 years and thought the overtaking had been an act of stupidity.
In fact, said Mr Wright, Weston was in the process of losing control and swerved into the oncoming lane.
Mr Bevan found himself hedged in by high banks either side and could not avoid the collision. His Golf was pushed backwards into a hedge.
Mr Tiltman said he felt angry when he heard Weston tell police officers at the scene that the crash had not been his fault.
Dyfed Thomas, representing Weston, said he had taken a decision that he would have to live with for the rest of his life.
Judge Philip Harris-Jenkins said Weston had ignored “slow” signs and broken white lines indicating the approach of a hazard, the sharp right hand bend.
“This collision was caused by you and you alone,” he said. “”This was immature, impatient driving. No doubt it will play on your mind for the rest of your life.”
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