Learner driver jailed for killing three friends in crash

A 19-year-old man has been jailed for four years and eight months after admitting killing three of his friends by dangerous driving near Dumfries in March 2022.

Jake Loy - who was 17 at the time and did not have a full licence - was driving on the A711 when he crashed into another vehicle.

His three 16-year-old passengers - Finlay Johns, Ian Cannon and Tyler Johnston - died and three men in the other car were also injured.

Loy was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow.

Speaking outside the court after sentencing, Alan Johns, Finlay's father, said the crash had ruined the lives of hundreds of people.

"There are no winners, the sentencing is what we expected - but it's very, very lenient," he said.

He described his son as a "lovely boy" who was "easily-led".

"He had his whole life in front of him, he was going to college," he said.

Finlay's brother, Grant, added: "No sentence could ever be enough, he's took away our brother, he's ruined our family, he's ripped our family to pieces."

Loy - who had a provisional licence - had gone for a drive with his friends on the evening of Tuesday 15 March.

He crashed into another vehicle on the A711 at Cargenbridge, just outside Dumfries, at about 00:15 on the Wednesday morning.

The three boys - all from Moffat - died at the scene.

The three people in the other car were seriously injured, as was Loy himself.

The court had previously heard there had been an "almighty impact" and Loy's Honda had split in two due to the force of the collision.

Prosecutors said driver inexperience and excessive speed had been "significant factors" in his loss of control of the vehicle.

One experienced crash investigator said he had "never seen damage like that to a car".

The court was told a boy in the same Snapchat group as the teenagers saw a message Ian Cannon had written before the crash.

He said: "He was saying that he was scared because Jake Loy was swerving all over the place, that he was a terrible driver and he was flooring it."

Donald Findlay KC, defending, said his client had "no recollection of the crash" so the cause of the loss of control could not be determined.

In mitigation, he told the court: "It was very telling and quite moving when he said if he could take their place he would - he would rather it had been him."

He said said there had been "no badness, no malice" in the actions that led to the crash.

He said from reports there was "very clear and strong evidence of survivor’s guilt".

In addition to his jail term, Loy was also disqualified from driving for eight years and must sit an extended test before he is able to drive again.

Passing sentence, Judge Lord Harrower told Loy: "Not only were you unqualified, you had no real familiarity with this car or its characteristics at speed or under adverse conditions.

“Your driving at the time of the collision formed part of a more prolonged and deliberate course of bad or aggressive driving with a disregard for the danger being caused to others.

“The victim impact statements all bear witness to the terrible devastation you caused to the lives of their family members of those you injured."

He said no sentence could "alleviate their anguish" and driving while unsupervised was a serious factor to take into account.