Driver jailed for killing biker on 20th birthday

Alex Anderson died in the crash in Thorne on 16 January last year

A driver has been jailed after causing a head-on collision that killed a motorcyclist, who had turned 20 that day.

Jack Garwell struck Alexander Anderson, from Wales, while overtaking several vehicles at high speed in "pitch black" on the A18 in Thorne, Doncaster, on 16 January 2024.

Sheffield Crown Court heard Garwell, of Hilton Avenue in Scunthorpe, and his girlfriend had been running late for dinner reservations in Doncaster.

Jailing the 24-year-old for three years and six months, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said: "It was an appalling decision to overtake at that point of time."

The judge continued: "You should have held back and stayed behind other traffic driving lawfully."

Garwell, a vehicle technician, had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard while driving along the A18, which had no street lights, Garwell overtook three vehicles by moving into the opposite carriageway at speeds "in excess of 75mph" and into the path of Mr Anderson.

Laura Marshall, prosecuting, said other drivers in the area who witnessed the collision described hearing a "loud bang" and seeing debris "flying around".

Ms Marshall said one of the witnesses stated "it was as if a bomb had exploded".

She said a post-collision report found Mr Anderson "would've been faced with an almost impossible situation" and that the cause of the collision had been "solely with the driver".

Death left 'huge void'

On his way to hospital, she said he told emergency staff: "I've ruined my life. It's all over. I've ruined my life."

Ms Marshall said it was estimated Garwell had driven in excess of 75mph and likely 76 to 88mph in the five seconds before the collision.

The road is subject to a 60mph speed limit for cars and 50mph for HGVs.

There was no evidence Garwell, who has no previous convictions, had been under the influence of drugs or alcohol or that he had been using his phone.

Ms Marshall told the court: "Quite why he didn't see [Mr Anderson] is unclear."

In a victim statement read to the court, Mr Anderson's mother Victoria said his death had "left a huge void" and affected the family "very deeply".

She described her son, who had been a cadet in the past, as much loved, especially by his sisters, who "will never get over not having had the chance to say goodbye".

"On the day of his funeral it was clear he was cared for and loved by many people," she told the court.

Mrs Anderson said her son's death had been "tragic and deeply traumatic" and would remain "a pain that lingers in every moment".

Robert Bryan, defending, said Garwell, who had recently been diagnosed with autism, had shown "significant remorse" and that prison would have a "significant impact on him".

Mr Bryan said: "He recognises that no punishment, whatever the length, can bring back Mr Anderson and it will not remove the remorse and guilt he feels."

In passing sentence, the judge said the jail term in "no way reflects the value of the life of Alexander Anderson".

Addressing Garwell, who was also disqualified from driving for five years, he said: "You are an ordinary decent man but you committed a serious crime.

"I know this will fall hard on you, but just remember, hard though it may be for you, it's also very hard for Alexander Anderson's family.

"He's dead. On his 20th birthday.

"You will have a life after you've been prison, he won't."

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