Christian Taylor: Driver jailed for wrong way M6 death crash

Christian Taylor was also banned from driving for 12 years

A man who drove the wrong way on a motorway flyover and caused a fatal car crash has been jailed for 10 years and six months.

David Draghita, 35, died after the car he was in was hit near junction 1 of the M6 in the Midlands on 14 October.

Christian Taylor admitted causing death by dangerous driving and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The 41-year-old was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday.

As well as serving a custodial sentence, Taylor - who worked as a prison officer for 13 years - was also disqualified from driving for 12 years and must take an extended test.

'Unsafe and unpredictable'

The court heard the defendant, of Preston Road, Preston-on-Stour, had gone to a hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon the evening before the crash following an argument with his wife.

He went to visit a friend in a club at about 22:45 BST, where he told police he had four or five pints of lager and whisky, before leaving at 03:15.

Upon returning to his car he took pain relief and prescribed medication before driving away.

Lynsey Knott, prosecuting, said a lorry driver saw Taylor driving along the M6 at about 25mph "and swerving from lane to lane", with his driving described as "unsafe and unpredictable".

After failing to gain the defendant's attention he called 999.

Dashcam footage later captures Taylor flashing his lights while on the wrong side of the road on a flyover approaching the motorway, near the Leicestershire and Warwickshire border, but no witnesses saw how he began facing the wrong way.

"[Taylor's] recollection of the driving is non-existent," said Ms Knott.

"The flashing of the lights is an indication that the defendant knew that what he was doing was wrong."

'Catastrophic' injuries

At about 04:30 Taylor's BMW hit a Nissan Juke carrying Mr Draghita, his parents and his fiancee, who was driving the car.

Ms Knott said the crash was "unavoidable", and the deceased's injuries were "catastrophic", leading to his death.

Mr Draghita's mother suffered extensive injuries to her body and spine, including multiple fractures, and has had her spleen and 90cm of her bowel removed, resulting in a stoma being installed.

She remains in hospital in Coventry and cannot walk without aids, and also was too unwell to attend her son's funeral.

Mr Draghita's father, who is now in Romania, suffered a broken arm, ribs, pelvis and vertebrae, while his fiancee also suffered a broken arm, neck vertebrae and bruising to his abdomen.

Taylor also suffered a broken thighbone and other leg injuries.

Mr Taylor was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court

Sentencing, Judge Timothy Spencer KC said the catalogue of injuries indicate "the devastating effect of the collision" on the family, who said they were "destroyed and heartbroken" in a victim impact statement.

Describing Taylor's driving as "sufficiently bizarre for a lorry driver to notice it and phone 999", he said the Nissan "had absolutely no chance" of avoiding the crash.

Estimating the defendant may have been about twice the legal drink-drive limit, he said the impairment would have been exacerbated by taking "well over the prescribed dose" of medicine to treat depression.

Judge Spencer took into account "significant mitigation" from Taylor's "extremely good service" as a prison officer, his role as a father to his son and stepchildren and the remorse expressed in a letter to court.

The ultimate cause of the crash, however, remained a mystery.

"At some point it's clear that you turned around, [but] it's not possible in my judgment to say precisely why you did that, [or] what was going through your mind at the time," he said.