A DRINK driver who killed a dad-to-be after losing control of a car and smashing into a water tank has been jailed.
Jamie Bouncer, 22, ploughed a borrowed Volkswagen Golf through a fence into a site belonging to Yorkshire Water in the early hours of January 12, last year.
After smashing into the site, the motor came to rest in a disused water treatment tank.
Dad-of-two Taylor Lupton, 18, was thrown from the vehicle and tragically passed away at the scene.
His partner discovered she was pregnant just 10 days after the fatal collision.
The owner of the VW, a 21-year-old who was a passenger at the time of the collision, suffered serious injuries in the horror smash.
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Investigators believe the driver had been travelling well in excess of the 30mph speed limit before the deadly crash.
It is understood Bouncer had been driving the motor in darkness with freezing and wet conditions on the road.
Bouncer, who only had a provisional licence, took the car from an address in Castleford, West Yorkshire, where he had been to a party.
The court was told that he had been drinking at a nightclub before going to an after party at the property.
Bouncer admitted causing death by dangerous driving in Leeds Crown Court today.
He also admitted causing death while drink driving, causing death while driving uninsured and causing death while driving without a full licence.
Bouncer was jailed for eight years and banned from driving for 10 years and four months.
The court heard a victim personal statement from Taylor’s girlfriend Megan Carswell.
Megan said: “I live with a constant sense of numbness, fear, and disbelief. I still cannot fully process that he is gone and not coming back.
“Our son will never get the chance to meet his daddy, and Taylor will never get the chance to meet his son.
“Our son should be able to grow up and know who his daddy is in real life, but instead he will only know photos, videos, and hear stories about his daddy.”
“What hurts even more is that Taylor never even got the chance to know that I was carrying his baby boy. I found out I was pregnant 10 days after he died.
“Taylor also has a daughter who was 11 months old at the time he was killed. He was meant to see her the day he died.
“She still looks at photos of him and points and says daddy.
“Taylor’s future was stolen from him. His chance to watch both his daughter and son grow up was taken away by the defendant.
“This loss is permanent and will follow me and his children for the rest of our lives.”
Taylor’s mum, Gemma Mason, said: “My whole world came crashing down around me because of the defendant’s careless actions.
“This moment of stupidity and carelessness has ripped my whole family apart.
“I cannot put into words how you have made me feel because I can’t, there isn’t enough pages in the world to express how I am feeling right now.”
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Paul Lightowler of West Yorkshire Police‘s Major Collision Enquiry Team, said: “Bouncer got behind the wheel of a car after drinking alcohol.
“He wasn’t qualified or insured to drive that car and took it for a drive at excessive speed in wet and freezing conditions.
“This was a completely avoidable tragedy. A young life has been lost because someone chose to drive while under the influence of alcohol.
“Our thoughts are with Taylor’s family, and we urge everyone to understand that getting behind the wheel after drinking carries devastating consequences.”
