September 14th 2023.
Jason Ward was sentenced to over eight years in prison for causing the death of Vanessa Barnes. On the evening of December 10, 2022, Vanessa had been watching her son play hockey for Leeds Knights at the Planet Ice rink before she was tragically hit by Ward's Ford Transit van. Ward stopped after the collision, but instead of helping Vanessa, he moved his van out of the way and ran off. Fortunately, onlookers flagged down a passing police officer who provided CPR, but it was too late, and Vanessa was declared dead at the scene.
Ward had been drinking for three hours prior to the crash, consuming nearly 6 pints of lager. He pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the limit and failing to stop at the scene of a collision and was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison.
In a heartbreaking victim impact statement read in court, Vanessa's son Adam paid tribute to his mother, saying: "Vanessa Barnes was my Mum. An extraordinary person who treated everyone with love and kindness. She was also a wife, a daughter, a sister, a carer, and a dear friend to so many. A beautiful, selfless, amazing human being, who was brutally taken from us by the irresponsible actions of a drunk driver." Adam talked about how his mother had made so many sacrifices to allow him to play hockey, and how she was always there to cheer him on and tell him how proud she was. He said he never got the chance to say goodbye to her that night, and that her loss has left an "unfillable void" in their lives.
Detective Constable Mark Turner of the Major Collision Enquiry Team commented that Ward had done everything he could to avoid taking responsibility for his actions that night, and that he had extended the suffering of Vanessa's family by waiting until the last minute to plead guilty.
In addition to his jail sentence, Ward was also banned from driving for eleven and a half years.
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