Drivers who killed Kirkburton man in high-speed race crash jailed

Two "reckless" drivers who took part in a spontaneous high-speed race in West Yorkshire, causing the death of another motorist, have been jailed.

Simon Hinchliffe, 53, from Kirkburton, died after Darren Rowe and Jordan Watkiss started to race, with Rowe driving at 90mph in a 40mph zone.

Leeds Crown Court heard Rowe, 36, had his four-year-old son with him at the time and left him at the crash scene.

He was jailed for five years, and Watkiss, 21, for four-and-a-half years.

The court heard Mr Hinchliffe was driving in a Citroen Berlingo van on the B6116 Huddersfield Road in Kirkburton on 9 October 2020 when a red Seat Ibiza, driven by Rowe, struck the back of his vehicle at speed.

Mr Hinchliffe's van was sent into a field, with Rowe's car hitting a bus stop.

The court heard the crash happened at about 16:00 GMT, shortly after Rowe had overtaken Watkiss, with Mr Hinchliffe declared dead about 40 minutes later despite the efforts of those at the scene.

The sentencing hearing heard Rowe, of Alton Avenue, Dalton, was uninsured, only had a provisional driving licence and was over the drug-driving limit at the time of the crash.

Following the collision, the court heard father-of-four Rowe left his young son at the scene of the crash while he went to find a female friend, with Rowe later claiming she was behind the wheel.

Rowe rubbed some of his blood onto the woman to fake the appearance of injuries in a bid to convince police she was the driver, West Yorkshire Police said.

The court heard there was no evidence to suggest Rowe and Watkiss, of Ings Mill Drive, Clayton West, were known to each other before the crash.

Watkiss reached speeds of up to 70mph in a Skoda Vrs during the incident, with the court told the pair were racing for about 700m.

Mr Hinchliffe's wife told the sentencing hearing her husband was the "most kind and caring person" who enjoyed DIY, playing squash and going on holiday to the Lake District.

"He was my best friend and I miss him dearly every day," she told the court.

"I want them to know I will never forgive them what they've done."

The sentencing heard only a small number of people were permitted to attend his funeral due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Andrew Stubbs KC told them they reached "eyewatering speeds", causing Mr Hinchliffe to suffer "unsurvivable injuries".

"You dumped your child in the passenger seat of a stranger's car and you ran away," he told Rowe.

Rowe, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving and attempting to pervert the course of justice, was banned from driving for seven years and six months.

Watkiss, who was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, was banned from driving for six years.

Det Con Simon Marshall, from West Yorkshire Police, said: "This was a wholly avoidable tragedy that came about due to the reckless and dangerous actions of these two men.

"Both of them were travelling at grossly excessive speeds with no regard for other road users."

He added: "Rowe compounded his actions by being under the influence of cannabis, being unlicensed and uninsured - he also tried to avoid responsibility for his actions by fleeing the scene before returning with someone he claimed was the driver."

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