A mother has been left “devastated” after she had to identify her parents’ bodies, who were killed in a crash, just hours after giving birth to their youngest grandchild.
Gail Gale, 58, and Ian Gale, 64, were pronounced dead at the scene after a head-on collision on the evening of November 18 2022 on the A47 near Belton-in-Rutland, Leicestershire Police said.
Simarjeet Singh, 35, was found guilty at Leicester Crown Court on Monday of causing the couple’s deaths by careless driving, two counts of causing death by driving while uninsured, and two counts of causing death while driving without a licence, the force said.
Singh, of Dishley Lane, Leicester, had been driving a Citroen C4 Picasso when a witness saw it “swerve” into the path of oncoming traffic before crashing into Mr and Mrs Gale’s Hyundai i10.
Police said the swerve was indicative of “loss of concentration or distraction of the driver”, and no evidence of a bump, stone or animal was found in the road, as he had claimed.
He will be sentenced on January 17 and has been released on conditional bail, the force said.
Mrs Gale’s daughter Emma Johnson, 34, said: “When I found out about mum’s death I was shocked and stressed. I was due to give birth imminently and the stress could potentially have been detrimental to my baby’s health.
“Imagine then having to identify your parents’ bodies hours after giving birth to your child, mum’s grandchild, the grandchild she would never meet. That is what I had to do.
This has been a heartbreaking incident to investigate. The actions of Singh show the devastating impact that careless driving and driving without a licence or insurance can have
“Knowing mum won’t get the chance to see her youngest grandchild or have a relationship with my four children is heartbreaking. She will miss out on having this relationship through no fault of her own. It is absolutely devastating to me.
“There is absolutely no justification for driving without a licence, putting everybody else on the road at risk.”
Detective Constable Anna Andrew from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This has been a heartbreaking incident to investigate. The actions of Singh show the devastating impact that careless driving and driving without a licence or insurance can have.
“My thoughts remain with the family of Mr and Mrs Gale. The words provided above are brave and show the true impact and devastation that careless driving can cause.
“No family should ever have to go through this and I thank Emma for her courage and co-operation with us to help bring this investigation before the courts.”
