Redbourn fatal crash: Car owner jailed over worn tyres

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A man who ignored advice to replace worn tyres has been jailed in a landmark case after his "fishtailing" car killed another driver on wet roads.

Henry Reynolds' Mercedes was unroadworthy and being driven by a friend when it hit Winston Chau's car in Redbourn, Hertfordshire, in 2018.

Reynolds, 31, of High Street, London Colney, admitted aiding and abetting, causing death by dangerous driving.

Judge Michael Kay QC said no precedents could be found for the "unusual" case.

Reynolds, who was a passenger at the time of the crash, was jailed for 30 months at St Albans Crown Court and banned from driving for four years and three months.

He also admitted aiding and abetting, causing serious injury to Mr Chau's mother, Chau Chau.

The court heard an MOT centre had told Reynolds in February that the rear tyres were near the legal limit.

The car was then driven more than 6,000 miles and witnesses described seeing it "fishtailing" on wet roads before the fatal crash.

Reynolds' friend TJ Sam Quirke, who was driving the Mercedes "aggressively", over-corrected the steering and the tyres were unable to grip the road.

It veered into oncoming traffic, hitting Mr Chau's Honda Civic head-on in St Albans Road at 21:45 BST on 12 May, the court heard.

Mr Chau died at the scene and his mother suffered life-changing injuries.

Judge Kay said the view of experts was that the Mercedes should not have been on the road and the state of the tyres contributed to the collision.

He told Reynolds at the sentencing on Friday: "You knew the effect the tyres were having on the vehicle in wet weather.

"You were not driving the vehicle, but you were allowing someone else to drive the car when it was unroadworthy and in a dangerous state."

He added there were no sentencing guidelines for the more serious of the two offences, and barristers had searched "high and low" for similar cases.

Liam Laughlin, defending, said Reynolds had suffered PTSD since the crash and was "extremely sorry and remorseful".

Last year, Quirke, then aged 28, and of Down Edge, Redbourn, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, drink-driving. causing serious injury by dangerous driving and having no insurance.

He was jailed for five years and three months and was banned from driving for 87 months.

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