A Whitchurch man has been jailed for 32 months for causing the death of a father-of-two by dangerous driving.

Victim Adrian Gammon (pictured), 48, died on April 22 last year when his vehicle was hit by a car being driven too fast on a bend on the A534 near Wrexham, by defendant Joseph Bonwick.

The 21-year-old, of Tilstock, Whitchurch, and his two passengers were said to be laughing as they entered the bend in a VW Polo.

Mr Gammon, previously of Wem, who had been living in Shrewsbury, had been a passenger along with other staff and young people from a care home. Another passenger was seriously injured.

Judge Niclas Parry at Mold Crown Court said the defendant was a young man of good character, but he could not ignore Facebook entries which he said indicated an attitude of bravado and ‘an unacceptable attitude towards previous accidents and incidents involving excessive speed’.

He said: “The public and in particular the victim’s family would not expect me to ignore that feature.”

Judge Parry said Mr Gammon was a father of two daughters, a loved and loving husband who loved life, who devoted his life to the care of others whose life was ‘wastefully and quite avoidably lost’.

“All of that because of your decision to drive without regard for the safety of others,” he told Bonwick.

The defendant was travelling at speed which was well in excess of the 40mph speed limit – in the region of 64mph.

“You drove into an s-bend when it was clear to everyone else you would not be able to negotiate it safely,” Judge Parry said.

Bonwick, of Tilstock, Whitchurch, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and a second charge of causing injury by dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for 42 months and ordered to take an extended driving test.

Prosecuting barrister Mark Connor said it was a tragic case, while defending barrister Robert Smith said the events would be with his client for the rest of his life, irrespective of the sentence he received.

The defendant suffered significant injuries and was in hospital for five days but he appreciated that was nothing compared to the loss suffered by Mr Gammon’s family and the injuries that had been suffered by the other passenger.