Jail for careless driver

A MAN who caused the death of his front seat passenger has been jailed for more than two years.

Mark Garrod, 44, of Newnham Street, Ely was sentenced to two years and three months behind bars at Cambridge Crown Court today (August 7) after pleading guilty to causing death by driving without due care and attention.

Garrod was driving a red BMW 325 CI at about 9.50pm along Branch Bank, Ely on June 1 last year (2016) when he lost control and collided with a blue Ford Focus Ghia.

He fled the scene and was later arrested after admitting himself to the emergency department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

His front seat passenger, Jahmel Rashane Grant, 20, of Grove Road, Kent, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. His rear passenger, a man in his 20s, sustained a fracture to his femur and a punctured lung.

The driver of the Ford, a woman in her 30s, and her two children aged six and one also suffered slight injuries.

Forensic collision investigator PC James Thorne said: “Instead of stopping and waiting for the emergency services, Garrod left the scene sparking a police operation. I welcome the sentence passed and hope this serves as a stark warning to the public that if you are involved in a collision you must stop, and where injury or damage is caused, you must report it to the police.”

Garrod was also disqualified from driving for four years.