A 26-year-old driver has been jailed for 20 months for causing a fatal collision that claimed the life of a Carterton man.
Tyrone Brackett, of Saunders Road, Oxford, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after admitting the charge at hearing last month. Brackett was driving a Ford Transit along the A361 at Filkins towards Lechlade at about 11am on April 28, when he veered into the opposite carriageway.
The van crashed head-on into a Ford Transit Connect being driven by 66-year-old Michael Hellaby. Mr Hellaby, who ran Hellaby Foods in Filkins, died in the collision.
When he was interviewed by police, Brackett said he could not remember why he crossed into the wrong lane but the police investigation concluded that the only explanation for the collision was that Brackett fell asleep at the wheel. This explanation was accepted by sentencing judge Patrick Eccles.
Judge Eccles told Brackett on Friday that it was “more than likely you fell asleep” and said it was an example of the dangers of driving while tired.
Sgt Peter Jell, senior investigating officer, said after the hearing: “This case demonstrates clearly the devastating consequences for everyone if you drive while tired. If you feel tired you must stop and take a break. Avoid putting another family through the distress of losing a loved one unnecessarily.”
In a statement released through Thames Valley Police at the time of his death, Mr Hellaby's family said: "Mike was originally from Gloucester and then settled first in Witney, then moving to Carterton. For those who knew Mike, he was one of a kind, and for those family and friends left behind a gap has been left that can never be filled again."
