"Wild, lawless and out of control" - Drunk driver from Yeovil jailed after killing woman in Dorset
Shane Bovey has been sentenced to 14 years for hitting three pedestrians in a stolen car
A man from Yeovil has been jailed for causing a fatal crash near Beaminster that also left two other people seriously injured.
Shane Bovey, 41, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of serious injury by dangerous driving.
The court heard that on the 8th February Mr Bovey was driving upwards of 60mph in a 30mph zone through Mosterton whilst under the influence of alcohol in a stolen Mercedes CLK
The Yeovil man collided with Nicole Bowden, 48, Emily Fox-Williams, 24, and a toddler on Main Road before running from the scene, hiding in a nearby garden and denying all involvement.
Nicole died the following day, while Emily remains in hospital with life changing injuries and a lifelong disability which her family described as “a living death.”
Judge Mousley called Bovey “selfish” and “cowardly” after he took the life of a “wonderful and selfless woman.”
Nearby houses were “shaken” by the impact and neighbours exited their homes to tend to casualties, but they said that Mr Bovey acted “aggressively” and smelt of alcohol.
Bovey reportedly had been drinking in The Royal Standard Pub with Sam and David Cook earlier that afternoon.
It was later that evening when Bovey became “agitated” and “aggressive.” He demanded that David Cook hand over the keys to his blue Mercedes so he could drive to his mother’s, but Mr Cook refused because Shane had “no license and no insurance.”
The defendant then ‘threatened to kill’ Mr Cook who said he became ‘frightened’ and drove Bovey himself, but he was quickly told to “speed up.”
Mr Cook pulled the car over where Bovey snatched the keys from him.
The fatal incident occurred less than an hour later at 8.09pm just a hundred meters away from Ms Bowden’s home.
Matthew Bowden (Nicole’s husband) and, his stepson, Jake arrived on the scene just minutes after the crash occurred as they were overtaken by the blue Mercedes travelling at 78mph on the A35.
The family, who were present in court, made it clear to the court that they had been living with “grief and anger.”
The judge concluded that “no sentence is going to be sufficient to satisfy how the family feel and what they have had to go through. Your disgraceful driving has shattered the lives of a family.”
Bovey will serve 14 years in prison and will be disqualified from driving for 10 years after his release.