A dangerous motorcyclist who killed his friend while driving 100mph trying to escape the police has been jailed for more than 10 years.
Disqualified driver David Stewart sped away from police in Peterlee, County Durham with pillion passenger, Lee Stevenson, in the early hours of March 25, 2023.
Stewart crashed into a roundabout on the 30mph Passfield Way in less than a minute of the pursuit starting, throwing both himself and Mr Stevenson from the bike.
Officers immediately gave first aid to both men but sadly Mr Stevenson died at the scene. A post-mortem later concluded that the 27-year-old, who was not wearing a helmet, died as a result of a head injury.
Tributes were left to the dad-of-two at the scene of the crash in Peterlee.
Stewart, 34, was taken to hospital in a critical condition and remained there for several months. Toxicology reports showed Stewart had cocaine in his system at the time of the collision and was over the drug-drive limit.
(Image: Handout / Durham Constabulary)
As is standard practice with any pursuit resulting in a fatality, Durham Constabulary referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who cleared both officers of any wrongdoing after reviewing the police car’s dashcam footage.
Once Stewart was well enough, he was interviewed by officers, where he replied no comment to all questions.
He was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving and due to stand trial before changing his plea to guilty earlier this month.
And at Durham Crown Court today (Friday, February 28), the court heard how Stewart had been riding the bike on false plates and had only been released from prison the year before for another offence of dangerous driving.
The judge also commented that Stewart had a ‘consistent pattern of poor driving’ and had he stopped, this fatality would have been avoided. Stewart, of Stockton, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
DC Jayne Gatland, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, led the investigation and urged drivers to think twice before putting others at risk.
“Many young people think they’re invincible but this case sadly shows just how quickly tragedy can strike and unfortunately it happens time and time again. Stewart’s reckless driving killed his friend, something he could have avoided if he had just pulled over.
“Not only will he now be spending a considerable amount of time behind bars, he also has to live with the fact he is the reason his friend died. Two children now have to grow up without their father and the immense pain to Mr Stevenson’s grieving family will never go away.
“We would urge anyone who is asked to pull over by the police to do just that; the outcome will always be better than making off.”
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