St Mellons: Driver of triple death crash car fined

Joel Samuel Lia, 28, of Rumney, Cardiff, was not in the car when it crashed

A man who drove a car in which three teenagers later died has been fined for driving without a licence or insurance.

The matter is separate from the crash that resulted in the deaths of Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and driver Rafel Jeanne, 24.

Shane Loughlin, 32, and Sophie Russon, 20, were critically injured and taken to hospital.

Joel Samuel Lia, 28, of Rumney, Cardiff, was not in the car when it crashed.

But an hour before he drove it from Porthcawl, in Bridgend county, to his sister's home in Llanedeyrn, Cardiff.

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Documents shown at Cardiff magistrates' court showed Lia told police he drove the car, despite not having a full licence, because the other occupants were intoxicated after drinking and inhaling nitrous oxide.

Lia admitted he drove the car without licence or insurance in Porthcawl, Bridgend county, on 4 March, 2023.

The later crash happened on the A48(M) near the St Mellons area of Cardiff at about 02:00 GMT.

The Volkswagen Tiguan the group were in lost control at a slip road approaching a roundabout and ended up hidden in undergrowth.

Eve Smith, 21, Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Darcy Ross, 21, died after a collision in the St Mellons area of Cardiff

The five were found about 46 hours later on 6 March.

The time taken by police to find the group is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Lia was fined £120, banned from driving for six months and ordered to pay a £48 surcharge and £90 costs.

There was no separate penalty for driving without a licence.