Video footage shows how a drunk BMW driver was caught on camera hurtling down a road moments before a horror 126mph crash which killed three people.
Carl Simpson, 36, was jailed for 10 years at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday after being caught driving with more than two-and-a-half times the legal limit of alcohol in his body.
Simpson, from Durham, had consumed several pints of lager before crashing into another car on Romney Road in Lydd, Kent, on 18 April 2021 at just before 6.30pm.
His two passengers, Jack Ryle-Thompsett, 26, from Lydd, and Michael Phelan, 45, from Hull, died at the scene, along with Sharon Haywood, 58, from Kennington, who was driving another car.
He previously pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving and three counts of causing death without due care while over the prescribed limit.
Shocking pictures from the scene show the devastating aftermath of the crash which only Simpson survived.
Michael Phelan (right), 45, from Hull, was one of two passengers in Simpson’s vehicle
Sharon Haywood, 58, from Kennington, died when Simpson’s BMW crashed into her at 126mph
Mr Phelan’s wife, Angie, said: ‘We were married just 20 months when on the 18th April our happiness was ripped apart. Our lives have shattered to pieces’
Outlining the case yesterday, prosecutor Kieran Brand said Simpson’s white BMW and Ms Haywood’s Dacia Duster collided less than eight minutes after the defendant left the pub.
The court heard the cars were travelling in opposite directions when it appeared Ms Haywood’s Dacia – which was travelling within the speed limit – briefly veered onto the opposite lane as the cars collided.
Judge Simon James remarked during the sentencing hearing that he believed it was not out of the question that Ms Haywood, a grandmother, only did so because she panicked when she saw how fast the defendant was approaching her.
Mr Brand said: ‘The subsequent collision can only be described as catastrophic. The Dacia was flung high in the air leaving the carriageway to the eastern side of the road rolling multiple teams.’
The BMW was travelling at 126mph at the time of the crash.
Mr Brand continued: ‘Mr Phelan and Mr Ryle-Thompsett both sustained severe injuries from which they tragically died instantly.
‘All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Simpson survived, notwithstanding serious injuries he’d sustained.
‘With assistance from members of the public he managed to extract himself from the vehicle before it caught fire.’
One witness described a high-speed left turn by Simpson, which he likened to a Formula 1 racing car, and said the standard of driving by the BMW was ‘terrible’.
Another couple in a Jaguar told how after seeing the vehicle, they didn’t believe the car would be staying on the road for much longer and said ‘it’s going to lose control’.
The court heard Simpson was later taken to King’s College Hospital via air ambulance after the crash.
Simpson, a married father-of-three, suffered a shattered pelvis, ruptured bladder and bowel, broken ribs, lung contusions, a bleed on the brain and psychological injuries.
Mr Brand said the power station worker was spoken to prior to being taken to hospital and confirmed he had been drinking earlier in the day and was travelling back from a pub in New Romney.
At the time of the crash, Simpson held a full driving licence but had six penalty points for two offences of speeding committed in 2020.
A collision report, summarised in court, said Simpson was travelling at a speed ‘grossly in excess of the national speed limit in force.’
Shocking pictures from the scene show the devastating aftermath of the crash which only Simpson survived
Video footage shows the scene of the crash after the BMW caught fire
Simpson was caught leaving the pub on CCTV footage before the crash
Jack Ryle-Thompsett (left), 26, from Lydd, was described as ‘a lovely, kind and happy person’ by his wife Angie (right)
The court heard that if the BMW had been travelling within the speed limit this would have given Simpson more time and twice the distance to avoid a hazard.
During the sentencing hearing, 10 victim impact statements from the families of those killed were read out.
Mr Phelan’s wife, Angie, said: ‘We were married just 20 months when on the 18th April our happiness was ripped apart.
‘Our lives have shattered to pieces. He trusted his friend with his life and in return his friend killed him. Mike was a lovely, kind and happy person. He loved his family so much.’
Mr Ryle-Thompsett’s partner, Georgina Fletcher, was pregnant with his daughter at the time of the fatal crash. She said her ‘whole world came crashing down’ when he died.
Addressing the defendant, Ms Fletcher said: ‘The love of my life, my soul mate and the daddy to our then unborn baby girl was taken away by you.
‘Not a day, hour or minute goes by when he isn’t thought about, but what doesn’t happen everyday is watching him walk through the door as he should be greeting the daughter that he always wanted.
‘You got into the car and drove at a speed completely unacceptable and killed three innocent people who were thriving in life, with families and young children that will now never see them again.
‘I feel for your children as now they’ll have to grow up without a dad [but] at least they will be able to talk to you, unlike Lylah who thinks her dad is a picture on a headstone.’
Tom Doble, mitigating, said at the time of the incident the defendant, along with Mr Ryle-Thompsett and Mr Phelan, were part of a team completing maintenance at Dungeness Power Station.
He said they’d been working together throughout the pandemic and Simpson considered them to be his good friends.
Mr Doble said in March this year his client was referred for specialist intervention by a crisis team due to his suicidal thoughts. He said Simpson suffers from acute stress disorder, PTSD and depression.
Simpson was filmed driving his BMW at speeds in excess of 120mph before the crash
Sentencing, the Recorder of Canterbury, Judge Simon James, described the incident as ‘reckless, aggressive and deliberate dangerous driving.’
Simpson, of Glebe Close in Fishburn, County Durham, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving. He was sentenced jailed for 10 years and handed a five-year driving ban.
Judge James added: ‘There is no definitive explanation for why it was that Ms Haywood’s vehicle was positioned partially over the central white line. It seems to me to defy all logic and good sense to exclude the possibility that she was reacting in sheer panic.’
Ms Haywood’s daughter, Rachel Stephens, said: ‘It’s now over two years since the crash which killed my mum, I still can’t believe that she has gone.
‘Although I knew that no sentence Carl Simpson received today would ever change anything or bring her back, I am glad he has been sent to prison and uses that time to consider his selfish actions.
‘A speeding, drunk driver has resulted in destroying our family and it’s broken my grandad, mum’s and dad’s heart. Further hurt was caused by Mr Simpson not pleading guilty at the first chance he had and dragging this pain on.
‘I am thankful to everyone involved in the extensive investigation that has brought this to a close today, although we live with the pain of Mr Simpson’s actions that day and always will.’
Following sentencing, Chief Inspector Craig West, head of the roads policing unit at Kent Police, said: ‘This is a very tragic incident where three people have lost their lives through the selfish actions of one person.
‘The consequences of Simpson choosing to have not one but three drinks before driving that day have left families mourning their loved ones. Let this be a stark reminder to anyone who chooses to drink and drive. Alcohol limits are there for a reason.’
