A driver who doctored dashcam footage after killing a pensioner at 88mph has been jailed for almost two years. Martin Young, 68, crashed his Audi into a VW Polo driven by William Hall, 84, on December 16, 2019.
After the crash, Young provided police with a mobile phone recording of his dashcam footage that obscured his speed. He told police he was driving at 60 to 65mph in a telephone interview.
Yet when detectives got an original copy of the dashcam footage they found Young was travelling at 86 to 88mph. The disturbing footage shows Young in the fast lane of the dual-carriage A1307 near Linton, Cambridgeshire, as Mr Hall begins to pull onto the road.
Mr Hall suffered serious injuries and died in May 2020 after being kept in hospital with a neck fracture and contracting Covid-19. Yesterday (May 3), Young, of Withersfield, Suffolk, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice.
He was also disqualified from driving for five years and 10 months and ordered to take an extended re-test, as well as pay costs of £2,116, plus a victim surcharge.
In a statement, Mr Hall’s family said: “Bill was a kind, loving and gentle man but also strong and determined. He was a proud husband, dad, grandad, great grandad and father-in-law who loved spending time with his family around him.
"He was always interested and keen to hear what we were all doing.”
DC Rochelle Eves, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: “Young was travelling at excess speed on the A1307, a road he knew to be notorious for fatal collisions. His attempt to avoid responsibility ultimately failed and it shows that if you lie to the police you will be found out.
“This is another case which shows the importance of careful driving and the dangers of speeding. I want to thank the family of Mr Hall for their dignity and patience while we have investigated this sad and complex case.”
