A learner driver who ‘shattered the lives’ of two families when he killed his girlfriend and friend in a ‘catastrophic’ accident has been jailed for 12 months.
Benjamin Bowden, 20, of Goole, East Yorkshire, had completed only eight driving lessons when he failed to negotiate a bend on a dark country lane near Howden, Hull, on February 7 this year.
His girlfriend, Levi Dickinson, 16, and friend, Rhogan Jones, 17, suffered fatal injuries when the Volkswagen Polo veered off the road and into a tree on Barnhill Lane, Goole.
Benjamin Bowden (pictured), 20, of Goole, East Yorkshire, had completed only eight driving lessons when he failed to negotiate a bend on a dark country lane near Howden, Hull, on February 7 this year
Bowden, who had owned the car for only a few days, held only a provisional licence and had no ‘L’ plates on the vehicle.
At the time of the crash the 20-year-old was breaking the law by driving without supervision from someone aged 21 or over with at least three years experience on the roads.
Bowden, of Broadway in Goole, had pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving and two counts of driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence last month.
He had been driving at around 60 miles per hour along the road but failed to slow as he approached the bend and lost control of the car.
His girlfriend, Levi Dickinson, 16, (pictured) suffered fatal injuries when the Volkswagen Polo veered off the road and into a tree on Barnhill Lane, Goole
Mitigating for him, John Thackray, said Bowden had suffered such deep remorse since and had seriously considered taking his own life.
‘His appreciation of the loss of life and considerable pain he has caused to all those connected with this case has been at the forefront of his mind,’ he said.
‘He’s been unable to sleep, lying awake berating himself for his actions. He’s suffered panic attacks as he struggles to come to terms with how he could be capable of causing such pain.’
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC described Bowden’s mistake as ‘an error that even an experienced driver can make’, but said that he’d shown ‘flagrant disregard’ for laws relating to learners.
The families of the victims, who sat in the public gallery, wept as Judge Richardson passed a sentence he said would ‘in no way reflect the values of the lives that have been lost’.
‘Your driving was careless and you killed two people as a result,’ he said.
‘As the personal statements of the victims’ families revealed, you’ve shattered their lives. Each of them is devastated by the death of their loved ones. You are the architect of this catastrophe.’
Rhogan Jones, 17, (pictured) also suffered fatal injuries. The families of the victims, who sat in the public gallery, wept as Judge Jeremy Richardson QC passed a sentence he said would ‘in no way reflect the values of the lives that have been lost’
Besides his jail term, Bowden was banned from driving for five years and six months.
Following the sentencing, the senior investigations officer who had been involved in the case said the damage caused to the victims’ families ‘could not be quantified’.
Inspector Mark Hughes, from Humberside Police, said: ‘Hopefully this will give any young person food for thought, that driving licences and tests are there for a reason.
‘Cars are lethal weapons and you need to look after them safely.’