Man 'distracted by baby scan' jailed for driving through red light and killing grandfather

Keith Tanner hit 71-year-old Patrick Hughes with car in crash on roundabout in Newport

Patrick Hughes was wearing a high-visibility jacket when he was hit by Tanner (Gwent Police)

A driver who hit and killed a grandfather in his car by skipping a red light because he was “excited” about becoming a parent has been jailed.

Keith Tanner had been celebrating the first scan of his unborn child when he hit Patrick Hughes as the 70-year-old crossed a road in south Wales.

Cardiff Crown Court heard it was the elation Tanner had been feeling about the baby’s scan that may have caused him to miss the red light and ultimately kill his victim.

Mr Hughes, a grandfather of 19, was wearing a high-visibility jacket when he was struck after finishing his shift as a machine operator on a roundabout which was undergoing construction work in January.

He was halfway across the road on the Pont Ebbw Roundabout near Tredegar Park, Newport, when Tanner, 32, drove through a red light and hit him head-on at 30mph.

Mr Hughes, who was a day away from celebrating his 71st birthday, was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in a critical condition, where he died two weeks later.

Prosecutor Roger Wilson told the court Tanner had between 2.2 and 2.6 seconds to take evasive action to avoid hitting the construction worker, more than the 1.5 most people would require.

“Tanner went through the red lights and struck Mr Hughes when he was about halfway across the road,” Mr Wilson said.

“Mr Hughes was hit head-on and thrown into the air before falling back on to the windscreen of the car. There was no reason why Tanner could not stop in a reasonable and safe manner.”

Mr Wilson said Tanner hit Mr Hughes three seconds after the traffic lights had turned red.

He was arrested at the scene and later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

He had travelled from Crawley, West Sussex, on the day of the incident to visit his girlfriend in his home town of Newport on the day of their unborn baby's first scan.

Nick Gedge, defending Tanner, suggested it was his excitement about his baby boy, who was later born prematurely, which caused him to drive in the way he did.

“That happy situation had come about and should have been a joyful day, but instead turned out to be a tragic one,” Mr Gedge said.

“He can't explain how he came to drive the way he did. It was at the time of a journey home for very exciting personal reasons, and perhaps those feelings got the better of him.”

Tanner hid his face in his hands while a victim personal statement was read on behalf of Mr Hughes's wife Francis, who said the death of her “soulmate” had left her and her family “devastated”.

Jailing Tanner for three years and four months, Judge Jeremy Jenkins told the defendant: “You created a substantial risk of danger by your driving. It was a dangerous manoeuvre.”

Additional reporting by PA