Man jailed for causing death by dangerous driving of private hire driver and passenger

A man has been jailed for killing a man and woman in a collision in Croxteth last February.

Ryan Howard, 27, of St Helens was found guilty at a trial in February of causing death by dangerous driving.

At around 5.10am on 27 February 2019, emergency services were called to the junction of the East Lancs Road and Stonebridge Lane following a collision between a BMW and a Ford Mondeo private hire vehicle.

The private hire driver, 51-year-old David Sherwin from Kirkby, and passenger Michelle Jennings, 35, from Fazakerley, were taken to hospital but sadly died later as a result of their injuries.

Howard, who was arrested after receiving treatment himself, was today, 27 April, sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to nine years in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for nine years.

Sergeant Phil Mitchell said: "Our thoughts today are very much with the families of David Sherwin and Michelle Jennings.

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and through no fault of their own, they have paid with their lives for the dangerousness of Howard’s driving.

“A number of witnesses came forward to say Howard had been driving dangerously, at speed and through a red light in the moments before the collision.

“I hope he will spend his time in jail reflecting on the consequences of his actions – not only on the families of those who died but on his own family as well.

"Although no sentence, however long, can ever bring David and Michelle back I hope it gives their families some sense of closure and allows them to instead reflect on the love and happiness their loved ones brought them in life.

"I would also like to those families for the courage and dignity they have both shown throughout this process, and also to the team of officers who brought Howard to justice.”

Image credit: Merseyside Police