Man jailed for seven years and four months following fatal road traffic collision in Southport

A man has today, Friday 26th January, been jailed for seven years and four months following a road collision in Southport in which two woman were killed.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that on Tuesday 30th November 2021, an Audi A3 was being driven by Glyn Jones along Lulworth Road towards Southport town centre when it collided with 79-year-old Marie Cunningham and 85-year-old Grace Foulds who were crossing the road. Both women were taken to hospital with multiple catastrophic injuries and both sadly died that evening.

Jones later failed a roadside eye test and it emerged that he had not notified DVLA that he suffered from a medical condition that affected his eyesight and his ability to safely drive a vehicle.

Jones, now 68, and of Blackgate Lane, Tarleton pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing. Today he was sentenced to seven years and four months. He was also disqualified from driving for nine years and 10 months.

Detective Sergeant Andy Roper, lead investigating officer, said: “This is an extremely sad case in which two women lost their lives and our thoughts, sympathies and support very much remain with both families.

“It has been a long and complicated investigation that required detailed analysis of the eyesight records of Mr Jones by an expert optometrist with over 40 years experience in the field. He concluded Mr Jones’ vision was well below the standard required for driving a vehicle and he was informed of this on several occasions by opticians and his GP.

"He chose to ignore this and continued to drive despite the expert optometrist concluding that, “his vision without any correction would have been so poor that he would not have managed to see the steering wheel of his vehicle clearly.” This was an entirely preventable collision where the decisions made by Mr Jones have resulted in devastating consequences, leaving two families grieving and his own life being ruined.

"I hope that today’s sentence will now go some way to allowing both families to begin to try and move forward and properly grieve after over two years of agony.

"Glyn Jones continued to drive with a severe eye condition and against expert advice. He failed to notify his insurers or the DVLA of his condition and today he is behind bars where he will spend a considerable amount of time.

"I hope that this sends out a strong message to all motorists. There are potentially life changing consequences for failing to meet the driving standards and laws of on our roads. It is vitally important that drivers have their eyes tested regularly and if needed, wear the appropriate corrective lens/glasses. Drivers should also notify insurers and the DVLA of any notifiable medical conditions or disabilities – of which there are over 180 of them that can be viewed on the DVLA website.

"The police have the power to conduct roadside eye tests if they suspect there is a problem with your eyesight. Should you fail this test, the police can revoke your licence there and then and report the matter to the DVLA for further investigation. Furthermore, if you are involved in a serious collision, driving with defective eyesight may result in charges relating to dangerous driving, which as we have seen in this case, can result in a custodial sentence."

STATEMENT FROM FAMILY OF MARIE CUNNINGHAM 

On the 30th November 2021 we lost a woman that cared more about helping her friend across the road than getting herself home, doing what she did best, helping others.

Over the last two years, we have lived and breathed the trauma, grief, frustration, anxiety, but most of all, the sadness and loss of our beautiful mum.

Because of Jones' neglect our lives will be forever changed by that moment in time. Mum’s life was taken away and ours was ripped apart.

Nothing can bring mum back, this tragedy was unnecessary and avoidable, through selfishness, recklessness, a clear disregard for the law and the safety of others on the road - we are all here living this trauma today.

While the police investigation proved to be complicated and complex, it appears to have been prolonged due to the un-cooperativeness of Glyn Jones with regards to the gathering of medical evidence.

The guilty plea from Jones was only recorded in the magistrate’s court four weeks prior to sentencing, this plea appears to have been prompted by the overwhelming evidence presented to him and his legal representative by the police investigation team. This is testament to the hard work of the offices involved in this case, ensuring that Glyn Jones is accountable for two deaths and bringing him to justice.

The sentence handed down by the courts to Jones today should provide a stark reminder that impaired vison whilst driving is illegal and has serious consequences for drivers who chooses to ignore medical advice with regards to visual impairment.

As a family we would like to thank all the medical teams for their dedication and those who provided care and compassion to mum and her family during that traumatic evening, we would also like to thank the police investigating team and our family liaison officer who has kept us informed along the very long and complexed two-year police investigation.

As a family we must now try to cope with the tragic and sad loss of our dear mum, grandmother, and great grandmother.

STATEMENT FROM FAMILY OF GRACE FOULDS

 It has taken over two years to get the justice that my mother Grace Foulds, and her friend deserve, after a very tragic and unnecessary death. It has been a very difficult time for myself, my husband and our three children and overseas family  ….hopefully now we can move on with our lives.

I would like to say a very big thank you to Merseyside Police for all their hard work to achieve this conviction and for all their outstanding support.