Man jailed for the death of Ronald Brown in Trafford collision

A man travelling over twice the speed limit as he went through a red light has been jailed for causing a collision that left Ronald Brown with fatal injuries in Trafford earlier this year.

David Edmonds (21/06/1984), of Northdown Avenue, Manchester, was sentenced today (Wednesday 21 October 2020) at Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square) to seven years in custody for causing death by dangerous driving in April 2020.

The court heard that in the early hours of Sunday 4 April, Edmonds was seen on CCTV speeding in his Seat Altea as he turned from Talbot Road onto Seymour Grove at such a speed that he drifted into the opposite carriageway as he did so.

Less than a minute later, Edmonds approached the junction with Kings Road and drove through a red light at speeds of 74mph in a 30 zone, which saw him collide with 56-year-old Ronald Brown in his Vauxhall Astra who was driving straight-on through a green light.

Edmonds struck the Astra with such force it caused Mr Brown's vehicle to rotate and collide with a lamppost at the junction.

Due to the severity of his injuries, Ronald Brown was unable to get out of his vehicle as it set alight and he sadly died at the scene.

A post-mortem later found that Mr Brown would have died instantly from injuries sustained in the collision.

The offender remained in the Altea and was arrested by responding officers on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, death by no insurance and drink driving offences.

Edmonds was taken to hospital where he initially consented to giving a blood sample, as per drink driving procedure; however, after moving to another part of the hospital after displaying coronavirus symptoms, Edmonds became aggressive towards medical staff and was then reluctant to allow officers to take a sample.

He was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving while uninsured and failing to provide a specimen for analysis - to which he pleaded guilty to all offences at Manchester Crown Court (Crown Square) on Monday 6 July.

Sentenced to seven years, Edmonds was also disqualified from driving for eight years and six months.

Police Constable Karl Horner, of GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "This was an utterly tragic incident - Ronald was a much-loved family-man who has been robbed of his life, and his loss has left his family absolutely devastated.

"The shocking recklessness of Edmonds' driving was outrageous and selfish - travelling at well-over twice the speed limit of a built-up area. There is small comfort that justice has today been served but this incident should never have happened.

"It is absolutely vital that those who use our roads do so in a safe and considerate manner. Next time anyone thinks they can go over the speed limit and disregard the safety of others, I ask them to remember this case and to think of the horrendous consequences that they could inflict.

"Edmonds needs to spend this time behind bars to think about his actions and to consider the impact that they have had on Ronald's loved ones. Our roads are much safer now that this man is locked away and today's verdict has ensured this."