‘Shameful’: Range Rover driver drank 11 pints of cider before killing teenage biker and maiming friend in horrifying Shropshire crash
A Shropshire Range Rover driver who drank 11 pints of cider and a ‘Baby Guinness’ before killing a teenage biker and maiming his friend in a horrifying crash has been jailed.
Danny Francis, 29, of St Mary’s Close, Knockin, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Motorcyclist Benjamin Worrall, who was 17, was killed in the crash on the A458 at Rowton, near Shrewsbury, at around midnight on September 30 into October 1 of 2023.
His friend and fellow motorcyclist Nathan Fountain suffered catastrophic injuries and was left screaming in pain as Francis, who had been driving the Range Rover which struck them, fled the scene.
Shrewsbury Crown Court was told today (Friday) how Francis had spent the afternoon of September 30 on a pub crawl with friends - at times carrying eight people in his Range Rover.
The court was shown footage of Francis and friends drinking pints as they visited The Old Hand and Diamond, The Royal Hill, The New Inn, The Red Lion, and the Salopian in Shrewsbury.
Footage showed Francis and friends piling out of the Red Lion and cramming into his vehicle, with one seen getting into the boot.
Caroline Harris, prosecuting, told the court that police were alerted to a crash on the A458 at Rowton at around 12.02am on October 1.
Ben, from Pontesbury, and Nathan had been riding back on their motorbikes from a meal in Newtown with friends when they were hit.
The court was told a member of the public had called the police and told them she believed one of the young men had died.
An off-duty police officer helped to save Nathan’s life as he lay injured and screaming in agony.
Ms Harris said that a friend who had been riding with them had noticed the pair were no longer behind him, and turned round to find them.
The court heard he was met with a catastrophic scene and was advised not to go and see Ben, who had had suffered “terrible facial injuries” in the crash.
Ms Harris said Francis’s Range Rover had crossed over into the oncoming lane, hitting Ben and Nathan with tragic consequences.
Describing the impact on Nathan she said: “It was as though the car turned in front of him and his leg hit the car and he was thrown a distance across the road and into the verge.”
The court was told bystanders did what they could to help but sadly Ben was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nathan has faced a harrowing experience with horrendous injuries to his left arm and leg - which resulted in his left leg being amputated above the knee in October of this year.
