Safe Speed Forums

DO YOU CALL THIS JUSTICE?Sep 23 2007




by James McCarthy, Wales On Sunday


THE teenager at the wheel of a car involved in the M4 horror crash which left five people dead was a convicted joyrider.

Today Wales on Sunday can reveal that 18-year-old Christopher Beresford had served six months for a string of motoring offences – including taking a car and driving dangerously.

He was released from prison, under the supervision of a youth offending team, just six weeks ago.

Under the conditions of his sentence he would have been regarded as being “a high risk, or persistent offender”.

Last night Monmouthshire MP David Davies, who is also a special constable, said: “This is yet another example of where the criminal justice system is failing the British public.

“People are being allowed out of prison either at a halfway point or earlier. A couple died, as well as the young men that were killed quite needlessly, because someone was let out of prison before they should have been.

“When will the authorities wake up to the fact that prison sentences need to be served in full?

“Keeping someone in prison is cheaper than letting someone out on the streets to cause mayhem.”

In the early hours of Monday morning Christopher Beresford drove the wrong way down the eastbound carriageway of the M4 near Newport to escape a pursuing police car.

He dodged cars for a mile-and-a-half but ploughed head on into Irish couple James and Bridget Stafford’s Volvo 940 near Caerleon.

They were returning to their home in Thornton Heath, Croydon, after getting the ferry from Rosslare to Fishguard on Sunday night.

Both of them were killed instantly, along with Mr Beresford and two of his three passengers.

But Wales on Sunday has discovered that on March 6 this year, Mr Beresford was sentenced to a 12-month Detention and Training Order at Newport Youth Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, taking a vehicle without consent and driving without insurance or a licence. Mr Beresford, who was 17 at the time and did not hold a driving licence, was banned from getting one for two years.

But he was released on August 6 from Parc Prison, Bridgend.

A detention and training order is only given by the courts to young people who represent a high level of risk, have a significant offending history or are persistent offenders.

Last night Wales on Sunday was unable to contact family spokesman Mark Kronda to ask for their comments.

But Father Tom Kearney, the priest who will be conducting the funerals of Mr and Mrs Stafford, 69 and 70, on Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland, said he felt the news would just add to the anguish of their grieving friends and relatives.

Asked how the islanders would feel about Beresford’s joyriding convictions he said he could only “presume they won’t like that”.

He added: “Everyone here is talking about it and is just devastated. Everyone is kind of stunned. I know some of the family very well, they are finding it very difficult to come to terms with.

“They were very well known and well liked. James was a fisherman, he had his own boat and everything. His mother is broken, she can’t understand it.

“Probably some of the children will come back with the remains, but I would not know too much about how they are bringing the remains over.

“The mother does not want to talk to anyone and James’ brother does not talk much since it happened, he is very broken.

“I imagine there will be a huge crowd at the funeral, with the family being big and well known.”

The funeral is expected to take place later this week.

The Stafford’s children – James, Des, Anthony and Martin – live in Croydon and Ireland. They were unavailable for comment.

The two passengers killed in the Mondeo driven by Mr Beresford were Sam Case, 19, and 27-year-old Lee Maggs. The sole survivor, an 18-year-old, thought to be the half-brother of one of the victims, was yesterday in a stable condition at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, where he was being treated for multiple fractures.

Gwent Police pursued Mr Beresford for five miles after they saw him and his pals acting suspiciously on the A48 at Penhow in the early hours of Monday. They stopped following when Beresford drove the car onto the M4.

It is thought the Mondeo belonged to Mr Case, from Maindee, Newport.

Earlier this week, Mr Kronda said: “He (Chris) was no angel but he was a good lad within his family. He has done wrong but no-one deserves to pay with his life.”

And Mr Beresford’s mother Teresa Fieldings, 40, said: “I had to go and identify my own child which was the hardest thing I have ever done.

“I am sorry that so many other families have been put through the same thing.

“Part of me totally blames myself. In my heart I feel I have caused the death of the other people who have died. I can’t apologise enough.”

The Ministry of Justice and Gwent Police declined to comment on the matter, which is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Tom Davies, IPCC commissioner for Wales, said: “We are doing a full inquiry into all the evidence.”

This will include CCTV footage, call logs and other police evidence.

Cathy Keeler, head of campaigns at Brake, the national road safety charity, said: “This week’s tragedy on the M4 has devastated families, friends and communities.

“The horrific reality is that young male drivers aged 17-20 are seven times more at risk of crashing than all other male drivers.

“Despite death on the roads being the biggest killer of people aged 15-24, road safety is still not a compulsory part of the national curriculum.

“The Government urgently needs to prioritise better education in schools and a tougher graduated driver licensing scheme to stop the unacceptable level of road deaths among young people.”

Floral tributes to the victims were moved from a bridge over the M4 after a minor accident was caused by drivers looking at them. Inquests were opened and adjourned into all the victims’ deaths this week.

The Government urgently needs to prioritise better education in schools and a tougher graduated driver licensing scheme to stop the unacceptable level of road deaths among young people.

“The Government urgently needs to prioritise better education in schools and a tougher graduated driver licensing scheme to stop the unacceptable level of road deaths among young people.”

Mr Beresford, who was 17 at the time and did not hold a driving licence, was banned from getting one for two years.

This young man would possibly not have been converted into a sensible law abiding member of society even if he had spent 10 years in jail.
The diffilty we have is dis-enfranchisement of whole sections of society Particularly Youth.

The way cars are advertised, and used and the way society sees cars is the difficulty, Is this poor Kid any different from others that at the age of 17 have decided that the law is wrong, speed is good ect??

Probably the only difference is that his parents did not have the money to purchase this kid his dreams, so he did what good old Maggie Thatch told us to do and went out and got it!!

A Tradedy in Many ways.

Am I allowed to ask these questions? Is it seen as bad taste because he died?

being the uncompassionate and insensitive sod that i am, i reckon he got what he deserved. he killed an innocent couple so what other punishment would fit?