Speeding van driver sent texts at wheel before he crashed and killed 'devoted family man'

A speeding Leicestershire van driver was texting at the wheel before he crashed, killing a man. Aidan Lee was also over the drug drive limit at the time of the fatal collision last year.

Lee, of Whitcrofts Lane in Ulverscroft, near Markfield, was driving a white Ford Transit at speed of around 90mph in Pilham Lane, towards Corringham, in Lincolnshire, when he collided with a Mini Cooper being driven by Stephen Sowerby on Wednesday, March 1, last year. Mr Sowerby, 57, died of his injuries.

Lee, 20, had been travelling with a passenger, a man in his 20s, at the time of the crash. Neither suffered serious injuries.

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Investigations by Lincolnshire Police found that Lee’s roadside drug test, coupled with later analysis of a blood sample, showed he had cannabis in his system and was four times over the legal drug drive limit. Lee told police that he had smoked between three and four cannabis joints in the 72 hours before the collision but had smoked none since.

Investigators soon found that the cannabis was among a number of issues associated with Lee. They found that he had been travelling at 90mph - 40mph above the restricted limit for his van - at the time of the crash, while mobile phone analysis showed he had been sending messages while he was driving.

Police found that if Lee had been travelling at the 50mph restricted limit, he could have stopped in time to prevent the collision with Mr Sowerby’s Mini. Lee was initially released under investigation following the crash, before Lincolnshire Police charged him in February this year with one count of causing death by dangerous driving.

At Lincoln Crown Court today (April 23), Lee was jailed for six years. He was also given a five-year disqualification from driving upon his release, and must pass an extended retest before he can get back behind the wheel.

Mr Sowerby’s family issued a tribute following Lee’s sentencing. In it, they said: “No sentence given will reflect the loss of Steve, a devoted family man and a respected work colleague.

“Words cannot sum up the devastation and grief caused by the selfish actions of another. Steve did not deserve to have his life so needlessly taken away, he deserved to live.”

Lead investigating officer Detective Sergeant Emma Ward added: “The speeds driven by Aiden Lee were excessive and dangerous. This was a country road and there is no excuse for driving so fast; there never is an excuse for speeding.

“His driving was impaired through cannabis use and the use of his mobile phone, all of which are well documented to change how a driver reacts to events on the road. These three things, driving at excessive speed, driving following drug use and also using his mobile phone are irresponsible decisions made by the driver Lee and has resulted in the death of a loved and respected 57-year-old man. Our thoughts are with his family.”