Woman sat in her kitchen 'wishing for it not to be true' after police knocked at her door

The family of a 20-year-old man said they felt "lost, destroyed and numb" when police officers delivered the tragic news of his death. Droy Darroch-York was driving near Pwllheli in Gwynedd, North Wales on Saturday, June 4, 2022, when a BMW travelling 100mph collided with his Ford Fusion, killing him.

The driver of the BMW, Roger Brenninkmeyer, of Hinderton Road, Neston, was jailed for six years and eight months for causing death by dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for eleven years and four months.

Prosecutor David Mainstone told Caernarfon Crown Court how Brenninkmeyer overtook several vehicles on narrow, minor roads near Pwllheli that Saturday, June 4, 2022 at about 12.30pm. One motorist had to slow down to let the defendant complete the manoeuvre.

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He overtook again on a blind bend while another driver thought he had scraped a hedge. Yet another was "shocked" while a further witness saw a "clearly agitated" Brenninkmeyer waving his arms in his BMW as he passed him at about 60mph.

The defendant reached the B4354 Llannor to Pentreuchaf road. Droy was ahead in his black Ford Fusion and had just turned into a junction when Brenninkmeyer's BMW approached him on the wrong side of the road.

Witness Andrew Lowe saw the BMW hit a grass bank, become airborne and hit Droy's car which rotated into a wall. The BMW's landed in a field and rolled over corner on corner before finishing 99 metres from the grass bank.

Mr Mainstone said an "airbag control module" from the BMW later showed it had been travelling at 99mph in a 20mph zone. An investigation found the accelerator had been "fully depressed at the moment of impact," said Mr Mainstone. Earlier Brenninkmeyer had been driving at 109mph, the court heard.

When police officers came to the family's door to deliver the dreadful news of Droy's death, the family said they felt "lost, destroyed and numb". In a heartfelt tribute heard in court, Nicola Roberts, who brought Droy up from the age of four said she sat in her kitchen trying to process it and "wishing for it not to be true".

Referring to herself, husband Bryn and the wider family she said: "He (Brenninkmeyer) has left us with a life sentence of pain, loss, grief and emptiness. The world is a darker place without Droy. He was the sunshine to my day."

Nicola said he was a "caring, gentle soul" whose life had been cruelly taken away. He trained as a bricklayer, worked in a community club and was looking forward to a holiday abroad with his partner Manon.

He had flown a plane from Caernarfon Airport on his 18th birthday and had been a careful car driver. He was proud of his Ford Fusion and drove on 86-mile round trips to college for his bricklaying course.

He would set his playlist in advance so he didn't have to take his hands off the steering wheel. She said: "He was the sunshine to my day." His positive attitude and work ethic were welcome lights.