One of the first members of the public at the scene of a fatal collision on the outskirts of Haverfordwest saw a young woman running past her saying ‘they are going to send me to prison’, jurors heard today.

A county council employee who arrived shortly after the crash, said that on the night of the collision a young woman had run past her towards an older man, who she thought might have been a relative, saying ‘I’m going to prison, they’re sending me to prison’.

The witness told the Swansea Crown Court that she had not remembered this when making a statement at the scene of the fatal crash on the B4341 at Portfield Gate on June 13 2021, but rather in June this year on the anniversary of the collision.

She had then immediately contacted the police and given a statement.

She said that she could not describe the young woman and had presumed that the man was a relative, rather than hearing anything to confirm that.

“I thought there were only two vehicles involved [in the collision] which is why I didn’t understand the comment,” she said.

Jago Clarke and Emma Price, both now 21, are on trial accused of causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and causing death by driving a vehicle whilst unlicensed and uninsured on the evening of the crash, June 13 2021.

Ella Smith, who was a 21-year-old passenger in the Ford Ka driven by Clarke, died in the collision, while Daisy Buck, the passenger in a Seat Ibiza travelling in the opposite direction to the defendants, was seriously injured.

Clarke, of Sunningdale Drive in Hubberston, Milford Haven, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of causing death by careless driving and also to causing death by driving a vehicle whilst unlicensed and uninsured.

Price, of Holloway in Haverfordwest, denies all charges.

The jury also heard today that the Ford Ka averaged speeds of 70mph in the minutes before the crash.

Dyfed-Powys police forensic collision investigator, PC Matthew Fraser, told the jury that the Ford Ka driven by Clarke was travelling from Broad Haven towards Haverfordwest.

The vehicle had travelled round a sharp right-hand bend when its nearside wheels went into the grass verge. The car took corrective action but was oversteered to the right which caused it to rotate across both carriageways.

The passenger side of the vehicle bore the brunt of the impact with the oncoming Seat Ibiza.

PC Fraser told the court that he had calculated that the vehicle would have been travelling at an average of 70mph in the one minute 48 seconds preceding the crash. There was no data from the vehicle’s black box from this period of time.

Data from the black box did show that the Ka was travelling at 51mph at the point of impact, slowing to 10mph before stopping. There was no sign of emergency braking, which he said may have exacerbated the situation.

The Seat had been travelling for just over 13 minutes in the direction of Broad Haven and had averaged 49.3mph.

He said that there was no physical evidence from Price’s blue Citroen at the scene.

Price's car wasn’t actually involved in the collision itself, but the prosecution say she and Clarke, were driving competitively at speed when Clarke lost control of the Ford Ka.

In other evidence, PC Robin Benbow, of Pembrokeshire Roads Policing Unit, described how he was first on the scene.

He had rushed to the Ford Ka and had administered CPR to Ella Smith until paramedics arrived.

He said that Price’s blue Citroen had been removed from the scene by her father and taken back to her home address because she was in a distressed state.

The vehicle was recovered by police along with the Seat and the Ford Ka. PC Fraser said that there were no mechanical defects on any of the vehicles which would have contributed to the collision.

The trial continues.