Motorist who killed stag reveller LIED

A driver who failed to stop after hitting a man walking home after running out of cash on a stag night, has been given an 18-month driving ban.
David Davies, 58, from Merthyr, said he was unaware he hit Mark Flanagan, 31, who was subsequently hit by three other cars on the A465. None of them stopped.

District Judge John Charles at Merthyr Magistrates Court told Davies: "You lied to police and you lied in court."

A coroner described Mr Flanagan's death in June 2004 as a "tale of inhumanity".

Taxi fare

Davies, a shopkeeper, was also given a £2,000 fine after being found guilty of failing to stop and failing to report an accident.

Mark Flanagan died in June 2004 after he was hit by four cars as he walked home from a stag party on 27 June, last year.

The 31-year-old from the Rhymney Valley, had been out with his brother and a group of friends in Swansea and became separated from them and tried to get a taxi back to his home in Fochrhiw.

But he did not have enough to cover the £60 taxi fare and the driver agreed to take him as far as his £33 would allow - the A465 Head of the Valleys Road near Glynneath Bank.


The court heard that witnesses saw Davies - also returning from a night out - hit Mr Flanagan and drove on.

Davies said he heard a loud bang moments after overtaking a car. "I thought something had been thrown at the vehicle," he added.

"But I couldn't see anyone there. Initially, I thought something had been thrown, but then dismissed it.

"There couldn't be anyone out there miles from anywhere in the dark."

He told the court he would have stopped if he had known he had hit someone.

After driving home, Davies said he saw his side mirror was missing and his headlamp was damaged.

He then drove the 10 miles back to the accident scene in a different car and saw the emergency services before he returned home.

The following day, he checked the news and later discovered someone had died.

He said he intended going to police the following morning, but police officers visited him at home that night.

In a statement Sean Williams, the driver of the car directly behind Davies', described how he had chased after Davies..

Passenger David Kelly, said they continuously flashed headlights at Davies' Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin before their car broke down.

Police and forensic statements said fabric from Mr Flanagan's shirt was found on Davies' 4x4.

Pc Daniel Minto told the hearing that initially all four drivers who hit Mr Flanagan faced being charged with death by dangerous driving but after investigation, Davies was the only to face lesser charges.

Reaching guilty verdict on the two charges, the judge said: "You didn't stop and you knew full well that you had hit a person - of that I have no doubt.

"It is impossible to know if that person's life would have been saved if you had done what any decent person would have done.

"You have shown no remorse and a callous disregard for that person's life."

After the hearing, Davies said: "I'm very sorry about what happened."