A MAN, who regularly posed videos of himself on social media driving recklessly, has been jailed after causing the death of a pensioner while driving dangerously.
Caleb Mansfield-Marr, 22, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Monday, December 2, having pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while driving while disqualified and uninsured, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing serious injury while disqualified from driving.
He had already built a reputation with the police for being a repeat driving offender, with a litany of offences leading to him getting a driving ban, which was still imposed at the time of the fatal crash which killed Jack Howe, 76.
Police also found videos of his reckless behaviour on Mansfield-Marr's phone, including one showing his feet hanging out the car window whilst speeding down the motorway with cruise control on.
The court was told how the fatal incident occurred on August 5, 2023, when a 74-year-old woman was driving her car along Ashton Road in Bredbury, in Stockport, with her husband of 50 years Jack sitting in the front passenger seat.
As the woman approached the junction of Lingard Lane, she stopped the car at the traffic lights and waited to turn right.
At the same time, Mansfield-Marr was also driving his car along Ashton Road, with several witnesses at the time reporting him to be performing undertaking manoeuvres and driving too fast for the conditions that day.
After the lights turned green, and when an appropriate gap in the traffic presented itself, the woman turned her car to head into Lingard Lane.
As Mansfield-Marr approached the same junction he overtook several vehicles and was travelling at around 64mph in a 30mph zone.
He collided with the car as it was making the right turn into Lingard Lane.
In the moments after the collision, members of the public ran to assist while waiting for emergency services and performed first aid to the passenger of the car, Mr Howe.
The woman received serious and potentially life-changing injuries and spent weeks in hospital.
Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, the passenger, 76-year-old Jack Howe died on September 25 due to his injuries.
Paying tribute to Jack, his wife said: “The morning of September 25, 2023, changed my life forever, I became a widow.
“My lovely kind and caring husband of fifty years had passed away. No more companionship, conversations, laughs or celebrations to share together.
“I am healing from my injuries, but nothing can heal my loss of losing Jack, my husband and my best friend.”
Mansfield-Marr was also taken to hospital with injuries but decided to discharge himself from hospital the same day as the crash.
Mansfield-Marr had a history of driving offences including speeding on the motorway, driving without insurance and failure to stop after a collision with another vehicle.
Having not held a licence for more than a year he was disqualified from driving until October 2024 and at the time of the collision he had no valid insurance, didn’t have a driving licence, and was still disqualified. He was arrested on Friday, September 29, 2023.
Police Sergeant Louise Warhurst, from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said; “Firstly, our thoughts and condolences remain with Jack’s family after he passed away in such tragic and terrible circumstances.
“I would like to thank all the members of the public who tried to assist Jack and gave first aid at the scene of the collision and to everyone who came forward to assist us with our investigation.
“Mansfield-Marr is a young man with a truly appalling driving history, and he bears full responsibility for this tragedy.
“During our investigation, we uncovered a number of videos that were taken on Mansfield-Marr’s phone showing him driving dangerously at astonishing speeds.
“In one of the videos we found, Mansfield-Marr was driving at speeds exceeding 80mph on a motorway with his feet crossed and resting out of the window while using cruise control.
“This is a dangerous man who believes the rules and laws that all other road users abide by daily do not apply to him.
“At the time of the collision, he was a disqualified driver, but even that did not deter him from driving dangerously and at speeds that were wholly inappropriate for the conditions.
"He acted so brazenly, not caring that he could be caught.
“I would like to remind those who think they can ignore the speed limits and drive dangerously to think twice.
“Your actions can devastate innocent members of the public in a split second, Jack’s family are continuing to mourn the loss of a much-loved family member and no one deserves to lose a loved one this way.
“Dangerous drivers will not be tolerated across Greater Manchester. We will deal with you robustly to keep people safe from illegal and irresponsible drivers in our communities.”
Mansfield-Marr, of Blackburn and formerly of Hyde, Greater Manchester, was jailed for 12 years.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel