Driver jailed after drug-fuelled crash kills girl he met hours earlier
A young driver has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after causing a fatal car crash under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Keilan Roberts, 22, lost control of his Skoda Octavia in Fochriw, Caerphilly county, last July, leading to the death of his 17-year-old passenger, Chloe Hayman. The car collided with protective railings on a cattle grid, which pierced the windscreen and fatally injured Hayman.
Roberts pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving with alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, and ketamine in his blood. In addition to his prison sentence, he was banned from driving for ten years. Hayman’s family described her as a “beautiful, loving daughter” and a “kind, caring sister.” Her mother, who gave a victim impact statement in court, said she felt “utterly heartbroken” following her daughter’s death.
Judge Morgan, sentencing Roberts at Cardiff Crown Court, said that the defendant “lost control of [his] car through momentary inadvertence, no doubt because of the alcohol and controlled substances you had consumed.” He added that Roberts had travelled from his home in Rhymney to a nightclub in Pontypridd, where he met Hayman.
After a disagreement with his girlfriend, Roberts left the nightclub with Hayman and his friends, promising to return her to her home in Tonypandy the next morning. However, upon reaching Deri, where he had left his car, Roberts drove off with Hayman, leading to the fatal crash.
Chloe’s mother, Danielle O’Halloran, tearfully read out her victim impact statement in court, saying, “Losing Chloe has brought so much loss, pain, and heartache to me and my family.” She added that she would not see her daughter “finding love, getting married, becoming a mother.” Addressing Roberts, she said, “I do forgive you, I just want you to learn.”
Outside the court, Hayman’s stepmother, Alix Hayman, said the family’s world “has been shattered and torn apart.” She described Chloe as “fearless” with “a wicked sense of humour,” adding that Roberts had “torn our family apart for one silly decision.”
Mitigating on behalf of Roberts, Jeffrey Jones KC said the defendant was “genuinely contrite” and “very sorry to Chloe Hayman’s family.” He appealed for the court to “make the sentence as short as possible,” stating that Roberts had a “fractured and relatively sad” upbringing and was still in the process of maturing.
Detective Sergeant Sean Fletcher from Gwent Police commented on the case, saying, “This is a very tragic case where a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her died as a result of Roberts’ reckless actions.” He urged drivers to remember that there are no excuses for driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs.
