Vauxhall motorist killed pal by driving 'far too fast' on Leeds road and handed lengthy jail sentence
A motorist killed his friend and left several others injured after ploughing into another car at almost twice the speed limit.
Nicolae Subtirel caused the smash while driving a Vauxhall Zafira on the A58 at Scarcroft in 2022, after another vehicle pulled out of a side road.
The 27-year-old Romanian was due to stand trial at Leeds Crown Court charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but changed his pleas to guilty at the eleventh hour.
He was jailed for almost seven years today, amid screams and cries from his family in the public gallery.
The court heard that he had been driving his four friends to work at a dairy shortly before 7am on October 17, 2022.
Forensics calculated he had been driving between 60 and 70mph as he entered the 30mph stretch in Scarcroft.
He was averaging around 51mph when the Zafira ploughed into the Honda CRV pulling out of Skye Lane, prosecutor Jazmine Lee said.
Subtirel’s passenger Petru Surban, 35, was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered fatal chest injuries. Another male passenger suffered multiple broken bones.
Subtirel, of Harehills Road, Harehills, was also injured along with the other two passengers.
The driver of the Honda was charged with causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving, but was acquitted after a trial.
Mitigating for Subtirel, Soheil Khan described it as “frankly, a tragedy”.
He said Subtirel was a father of two and will “live in the shadow of the tragedy caused by his driving”. He also added that he had expressed remorse.
Judge Tom Bayliss KC told Subtirel that his driving speed was the “primary cause” of the crash.
He told him: “You were travelling far too fast.
“The victim was a close friend, as were those who suffered injuries.”
However, he noted Subtirel was a “hard-working man” who had no previous convictions. He also said Mr Surban’s decision not to wear a seatbelt had been a contributory factor.
Judge Bayliss jailed him for 81 months and banned him from driving for nine-and-a-half years.
He told him he would have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole, rather than the usual half-way mark. He must also take an extended driving test to get his licence back.