Widow Of Father-of-Three Speaks Of Anger As Judge Hands Down Sentencing

The widow of a father-of-three, who was killed by a learner driver and his supervisor in a crash on the A52 at Bramcote, Nottingham, has spoken of her heartache and anger after the judge sentenced the two defendants to prison.

Gurdip Singh Kareer, or ‘Jonnie’ as he liked to be known, was 41, of Wollaton, and was a passenger in a car driven by Kyle O’Connor, 22, of Wollaton Vale, on 25th November last year, when their car, along with another car and lorry were involved in the fatal crash, that left the road shut for almost 24 hours.

On 19th October 2017, learner-driver Latham Wilbraham, 23, of Strelley, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and admitted failing to stop at the scene of a road accident.

25-year-old, full driving licence holder, Kyle Bennet, also of Strelley, pleaded guilty on the same day to aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving.

Today, at Nottingham Crown Court, both defendants were sentenced to six years imprisonment and disqualified from driving for eight years.

Following the crash, Jonnie’s widow, Priya, 37, instructed serious injury specialists at Irwin Mitchell to support her family thought the court case and investigate the circumstances of the accident.

Priya, whose three children with Jonnie are called Argent, 5, Kaiden, 10, and Tiana, 23 months, said: “I, along with the rest of my family, am completely devastated by the loss of Jonnie. 

“He was such a healthy, loving and caring family man. It is still hard to believe at times he is no longer with us.

“Today’s sentencing will not undo what has happened or help mend the huge impact on mine and the rest of my family’s lives. Our three beautiful children are going to have to grow up without their father and that is so heartbreaking and makes me so angry.”

Wilbraham and Bennet were driving a Skoda Fabia car when the accident occurred on the stretch of the A52 known as Derby Road.

Kelly Lingard, the road accident specialist at Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office who is representing Priya and the family, said: “As this case shows, the consequences of failing to be fully aware of other road users while driving can be fatal and devastating. 

“Due to the actions of these two young defendants, three children will now have to grow up without their father.

“Both today’s sentencing and Brake’s Road Safety Week, which is next week, highlight and reinforce that nothing is more important than your own safety and the safety of others on the roads. It is vital that people remember this when driving as we sadly see first-hand on a daily basis the impact dangerous driving has on people’s lives.”

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