Laila Barnard-Wigley, 27, from Bridlington, was driving ‘too fast for the conditions’ after heavy rain left the roads wet when her car aquaplaned into an oncoming vehicle
A woman who caused a horror “head-on” crash that killed a couple while rushing to sell beauty products has avoided jail.
Laila Barnard-Wigley, a 27-year-old from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, was driving her Mercedes too fast for the wet conditions following a downpour of “biblical” proportions on May 7, 2021 – resulting in a crash that killed Dean Yarrow, 33, and his girlfriend, Faye Wardle, 32. Hull Crown Court heard that her car likely “aquaplaned” into an oncoming vehicle.
Today, Barnard-Wigley walked free from court after being handed a suspended sentence and a five-year driving ban. She had previously admitted causing the deaths of two people by careless driving.
Barnard-Wigley had been set to face a retrial after a jury failed to deliver verdicts in December 2023, but later changed her pleas to guilty. She was initially accused of causing the deaths of the Scarborough couple by dangerous driving.
Prosecutor Michael Greenhalgh said that the tragic accident unfolded just before 3.30pm as Barnard-Wigley was driving a black Mercedes Benz on the A165 in Bridlington. She collided with a red Peugeot 208 driven northbound by Mr Yarrow, with his girlfriend, Miss Wardle, in the front passenger seat.
A young boy was strapped into a child seat in the back. Barnard-Wigley’s car swerved across the road and smashed into the other vehicle, reports Hull Live. The prosecution described it as a “head-on collision”, alleging that Barnard-Wigley was driving too fast for the poor weather conditions.
She was reportedly “in a hurry” to reach a Bridlington beauty salon before its 3.30pm closing time, intending to sell some beauty products. Earlier that day, she had been messaging a female friend who worked at the salon. The messages mentioned Estée Lauder, make-up, foundations and perfumes. “She was in a hurry to get to the salon before it closed,” said Mr Greenhalgh.
Barnard-Wigley was overtaking vehicles “to make rapid progress through traffic” before the collision, he said, and there was “standing water” in some areas after earlier “torrential rain”. Moments before the collision, Barnard-Wigley overtook a man’s car and pulled in again but her car veered to the right and crashed into the oncoming car.
Barnard-Wigley, who also suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital, had likely lost control after hitting an area of standing water. Mr Yarrow’s mother said in a statement said that she thought she “understood grief” but she had “never known so much pain” and her world was destroyed.
She “put on a brave face” just to get through the day but all she felt was numb. “I am broken beyond repair,” she said. “It has been a very difficult four-and-a-half years since we lost Dean and Faye,” she said. Miss Wardle’s father said that the “silence is deafening again” at his home since the deaths, adding: “My life at home is a very sad one”.
Miss Wardle’s sister said: “She was the person I looked up to.” She also lost a friend in Mr Yarrow and he was an integral member of her family. “They were both the life and soul of any party,” she said. “It feels like part of my identity has been taken. I know that I am not the person I used to be.”
Richard Dawson, mitigating, said: “On any view, this is a tragic case, which has had catastrophic consequences. May I express our condolences to family and friends. The sentence that this court imposes cannot restore Dean and Faye to life.”
Barnard-Wigley had inflicted trauma upon herself through the guilt and remorse that she felt. The case arose from “simple driver error” in the road conditions. “Laila Barnard-Wigley simply did not appreciate the risks associated with aquaplaning when driving in wet conditions,” said Mr Dawson.
She had been driving at comparable speeds to other drivers but she accepted that she should have driven more carefully. “Had she been driving more slowly, she might not have aquaplaned,” said Mr Dawson. It was a “momentary lapse” and a “misjudgement”, although it had serious consequences.
“This wasn’t a case of prolonged bad driving,” said Mr Dawson. “This was an entirely out of character event. Her thoughts have always been very much for the victims and their families.
“She is profoundly sorry and would seek to apologise for what she has now seen to be her careless driving and to apologise for the upset and heartbreaking distress which has evidently been caused.”
Barnard-Wigley had no previous convictions and she had a good driving record. The offence was due in part to her inexperience. She had shown genuine remorse, had a very good work record and currently had a self-employed business.
Barnard-Wigley received a 21-month suspended prison sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work and a six-month curfew from 9pm to 6am. She was disqualified from driving for five years and must pass an extended retest before she can legally drive again.
