Drivers caused the death of Ella Smith by dangerous driving

Emma Price and Jago Clarke, both now 21, have been on trial relating to a fatal crash on the B4341 at Portfield Gate, near Haverfordwest, on the evening of June 13, 2021.

Miss Smith, who was a passenger in the Ford Ka driven by Clarke, died in the crash, while Daisy Buck, the passenger in a Seat Ibiza travelling in the opposite direction to the defendants, was seriously injured.

Although the Citroen C1 driven by Price was not directly involved in the crash, it was alleged that she had been driving at speed and competitively with Clarke, which the prosecution said contributed to the crash.

Following around four and a half hours of deliberations, the jury returned their verdicts on Wednesday afternoon.

Clarke, of Sunningdale Drive in Hubberston, Milford Haven, had pleaded guilty on the day of trial to an alternative lesser charge of causing death by careless driving, as well as admitting causing death by driving a vehicle whilst unlicensed and uninsured.

However, the jury did not accept his alternative plea, and found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Price, of Holloway in Haverfordwest, denied causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and causing death by driving a vehicle whilst unlicensed and uninsured. However, she was found guilty of all charges.

The defendants will be sentenced on January 19. Both defendants were granted bail until that date, and were both disqualified from driving.

Judge Paul Thomas KC thanked the jury for their careful consideration of the case.

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During the course of the trial, the jury heard that Price and Clarke had been at Broad Haven beach with friends in the late afternoon on June 13, 2021.

Clarke had asked Miss Smith to come to the beach to give some of the group a lift home.

The court heard evidence from one of the group, Luis Heathfield, who said that Clarke – who held a provisional licence at the time – had been “bragging about his driving” and saying that he would drive Miss Smith’s car back and overtake everyone.

“I shouted at him ‘No, don’t be a f****** idiot’ when we were leaving the car park,” he told the jury.

He also said that Clarke had been drinking at the beach. A blood sample was taken from Clarke after the crash, but due to a failure of the recording procedures in the laboratory, the results of the test were removed.

The court heard that three members of the group left in a Fiat Punto, with Price – who also only held a provisional licence – leaving next with two others in her Citroen C1 and Clarke driving Miss Smith in her Ford Ka.

Describing the moments before the crash, Mr Heathfield said: “Emma was driving fast, and Jago was too. Emma’s car was just going over the line in the middle of the road – I think, by the looks of it, it was to try and stop Jago from passing her.”

He said Price's car then returned to the correct lane.

“I’ve seen Emma coming around the bend,” he said. “Jago’s car just started spinning.

“I heard a massive bang when it happened.”

Rowan Fair, the driver of the Seat Ibiza, said: “Looking at the chicane there was two cars travelling – one overtaking round the blind bend,” he said.

“The vehicle on the correct side of the road was a white Ford Ka and the vehicle overtaking was a blue Citroen.”

He estimated they were “about 30 to 40 yards” away, and were travelling at “a considerable speed”.

“As I stopped accelerating I saw the blue car complete the overtake, as such, and come back in front of the white car,” he said.

“I saw the white car hit the hedge. I saw it fly back out right across.”

Miss Buck was taken to the A&E department at Withybush Hospital, before being transferred to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. She sustained abdominal injuries which required surgery and an open fracture to her right ankle. She was later transferred to Morriston Hospital.

“I immediately looked down at my feet and my right ankle was bent,” she said. “It was an open wound. I knew it was not good.

“It was indescribable, the pain.”

Clarke sustained a traumatic brain injury, two collapsed lungs and a fractured rib. He was in a coma for two days after the crash and in hospital for further three weeks, and had no memory of the incident.

Both the Seat Ibiza and the Ford Ka were fitted with black boxes.

Due to the crash, no telematics data was received from the Ford Ka for the 2.1 miles prior to the incident. However, a crash report was sent by the black box upon impact. Using this, and the time and location of the last recording, it was calculated that the Ford Ka was averaging 70mph over that period. The speed limit is 60mph.

The Ford Ka's speed at the time of the crash was 51mph.

Price denied that she had been racing with Clarke, and denied “overtaking” Clarke as they rounded the bend.

“No, we were never in the middle of the road,” she said.

She said that she did try to overtake the Fiat Punto on the straight section of the road before the corners shortly before the crash.

“Did you have any particular need to overtake,” Jon Tarrant, representing Clarke, asked.

“Not necessarily,” Price said.

“You chose to make a decision to try to overtake [Clarke] back at speed on a blind bend,” Mr Tarrant put to Price.

“I didn’t have to make that decision. I was always in front of them. They were always behind me,” she said.