Man jailed for manslaughter after fatal Bournemouth crash
Shaun Hall drove at a group of people, killing a 40 year old woman
A man who drove his car into a group of people in Bournemouth, killing a 40 year old woman, has been jailed.
Shaun Hall sped from the scene after driving into Clare Gafan and her friends on Suffolk Road in Westbourne in October 2021.
The 40 year old from Derby has been sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter.
What happened?
An arrangement had been made between Hall and another man to meet in Queens Road on Friday 22nd October 2021, while he was driving a black Audi A4.
Hall met the man and snatched a container from him, before driving away with the passenger door still open.
The following day (Saturday 23rd October), the same man was in Suffolk Road with a group of people, including 40 year old Clare Gafan, when the Audi was spotted.
He went to speak to Hall about the previous evening's incident, but when Hall saw him approaching, he accelerated towards the group, and all apart from Clare were able to jump out of the way.
She sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, but died two days later.
Hall drove away from the scene and didn't speak to emergency services.
He parked up until it was dark, with damage to his car, and then travelled out of Dorset.
The black Audi A4 was located in Northamptonshire in the early hours of Sunday October 24th 2021, and arrested.
Hall also admitted a dwelling burglary in Southampton that was committed between 15th and 18th October 2021 and has also been sentenced to two years in prison for that offence.
This sentence will be served consecutively to his jail term for the manslaughter offence.
Detective Inspector Mark Jenkins, of the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), said:
“First and foremost, our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Clare who sadly died following the collision.
"This incident was the subject of a detailed investigation, which allowed us to piece together what happened both during the collision and in the days leading up to it.
"The deliberate actions of Hall had fatal consequences for Clare and he showed no regard for what happened by leaving the scene in the way that he did. I am grateful for the efforts of the investigation and prosecution team in ensuring Hall faced justice.”
Clare’s family have also released a statement:
"Losing Clare has been hard for all of us and left a huge hole in our lives. Clare was an incredibly special woman who had a family that loved her unconditionally.
"Clare did not have a bad bone in her body. She had the biggest heart and would never have caused harm to anyone. She was loving, caring, funny and crazy, which is why we all loved her. She would always try and spread positive energy no matter what mood she was in, and she would always put other people before herself. This was true to form when we discovered that she had opted to donate her organs upon her death. She was truly selfless."