Tenby test drive crash death man jailed for four years
A driver who caused the death of a potential buyer of his car during a test drive has been jailed.
Gavin Collier, 20, of Neath, had travelled to Tenby, Pembrokeshire, to view the Peugeot hatchback.
Nathan Morris, 23, crashed into a parked car while travelling at up to 75mph in a 50mph zone on the test drive.
Morris, who was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, was jailed for four years at Swansea Crown Court.
The court heard Morris was trying to sell the car with a faulty shock absorber which he had been previously warned about in an MOT test.
Prosecutor James Jenkins told the court he hit speeds of 75mph as he was trying to manoeuvre around a sweeping left hand bend on a country road in Tenby.
Trainee mechanic Morris lost control and crashed into a parked car in February 2010 killing Mr Collier instantly.
He told police he was only driving at 50mph.
Mr Jenkins told the court: "Morris took the bend too quickly in a car he knew to be defective."
Judge John Diehl QC told Morris he had been travelling at a "grossly excessive speed" and had a defect which was going to make it difficult to control his vehicle at speed.
He said: "Witnesses described the vehicle as screeching off then moving quickly through the gears. They said it was flying down the road.
"Your vehicle went across the road resulting in a sickening impact with a parked Isuzu Trooper.
"That impact led to the untimely and needless death of Gavin Collier."
Outside court, Mr Collier's father Jonathan said: "He loved life but had his whole future cruelly snatched away from him by the reckless and irresponsible actions of Nathan Morris.
"While nothing will ever bring Gavin back, his family hopes his death has not been entirely in vain.
"We hope it will act as a warning to others of the tragic consequences that can result from dangerous and irresponsible driving."