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Teenager sentenced to four years and eight months after pleading guilty to taking car out unsupervised on a provisional licence
A learner driver who killed three of his friends in a crash during which the car split in half has been jailed.
Jake Loy, 19, lost control of his Honda Civic and smashed into another car just after midnight on the A711 in Dumfries, Scotland, after taking it out on a public road for the first time, without the supervision required by a provisional driving licence.
His three 16-year-old passengers – Tyler Johnston, Ian Cannon and Finlay Johns – were killed in the crash on March 16 2022. The three occupants of the other vehicle and Loy were seriously injured.
The court heard the other driver had been adhering to the 60mph speed limit and although Loy’s speed was “unknown”, it would have exceeded this.
A judge heard how Ian had posted a message in a group social media chat before the crash that he was “scared” in the vehicle and that Loy was a “terrible driver”.
Loy, a first offender, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to a charge of causing the death of the three boys by dangerous driving.
Sentencing him to four years and eight months imprisonment, Judge Lord Drummond said: “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. This sentence cannot alleviate their anguish.”
Loy, of Moffat, Dumfriesshire, was also disqualified from driving for eight years and must sit the extended test before he is able to drive again.
He showed no emotion as he was led to the cells. Family members in the public gallery were seen crying after the judge had concluded his sentencing.
The teenager, who held a provisional licence, had initially been in his car with Ian and Finlay before travelling to Dumfries to pick up Tyler.
Stephen Jackson said how at about midnight, he was driving back from a poker night with friends in his Honda CR-V when he recalled a black car suddenly “coming towards him side on” at a slight bend on the A711.
Mr Jackson tried to avoid being hit, but Loy’s Honda went “straight into the front”. Alex Prentice KC, prosecuting, told how it was described as an “almighty impact”.
The Honda split in two and an experienced crash investigator said he had “never seen damage like that to a car”. The speed Loy was driving at is not known.
Mr Jackson suffered a fractured kneecap and hand as well as bruising. The court heard he is scarred for life and remains mentally affected by what happened.
Donald Findlay KC, defending, told the court that his client has “simply no memory” of the incident. He said: “Loy is distressed by what happened and the consequences to his friends.
“It is telling and quite moving to me when he said that if he could take their place he would. He would rather it be him. There is very clear and strong evidence of what is known as survivor’s guilt. There was no badness nor malice or intent of any kind.”