Dangerous driver jailed for seven and half years

A man has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for causing the death of his passenger. Alexander Clarke, aged 38, of no fixed abode, was sentenced yesterday (4/4) at Reading Crown Court. He pleaded guilty at the same hearing to causing death by dangerous driving and driving while disqualified. He was also sentenced to a five year driving ban, extended for three years until he takes an extended re-test. This will begin once he has served his prison sentence. He received four months’ imprisonment for the count of disqualified driving, which will run concurrently to the seven-and-a-half year sentence. At around 10.30pm on 3 January 2019 a silver Ford Transit van was involved in a collision with parked vehicles and a wall in Wood Lane. Officers and South Central Ambulance Service attended the scene. A passenger in the van, 47-year-old William Seymour, sustained serious head injuries. He was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, where he died two days later. The pair had met that evening while drinking at the Black Horse public house in Emmer Green. Clarke was arrested following the collision on 3 January and was charged in connection with the incident the following day. Investigating officer PC Mark Dunne, of the Joint Operations Unit for Roads Policing, said: “This case has an absolutely tragic set of circumstances and highlights the dangers of drink-driving. Clarke was already disqualified from driving at the time he drove William Seymour’s van, having previous been involved in a collision. “He had not learnt his lesson and once again drove while above the legal alcohol limit. On this occasion, the court heard one of the aggravating factors was that he was almost twice the drink drive limit when the collision occurred and sadly resulted in William Seymour’s death.”