'Coward' driver left best friend to die in wreck after horror drug-driving crash

A "coward" pal ditched his best friend and left him to die after wrecking a while high on . Joshua Pearce, 29, was under the influence when he jumped behind the wheel of his Passat but lost control, after a tyre blew, and careered into a metal railing while his friend Samuel Bevan, 26, was sat in the passenger seat.

Bevan - who was a godfather to one of Pearce's children - was left severely injured and trapped after the but the driver ran off and abandoned his pal. A neighbour in Cwmbran, in southern , came out to the wreckage and waited the Bevan for 10 minutes until services arrived.

The passenger was rushed to hospital after the horror crash happened at around 11pm on April 23, 2023, but he unfortunately died a week later from the major brain injuries he sustained. Pearce was slammed as a "coward" by Judge Eugene Egan as he was jailed at Crown Court this week.

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He pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs and was sentenced to four years and four months behind bars.

While jailing him, the judge said: "While your friend lay in the car, heavily injured and in desperate need of your help, his life ebbing away second by second, in that moment you abandoned him and scuttled off into the night, making good your escape. That was a cowardly and dishonourable thing to do to your friend."

Prosecutor Ieuan Bennett said Pearce was more than double the limit for driving when he crashed while speeding. Bennett said: "He claimed to have no memory of what happened in between."

The court also heard he was caught driving with excess drugs in his system on April 7, 2023 - just 16 days before this incident. Bevan's father emotionally told the court how his family has been left heartbroken by this tragedy. He said: "Sam was like most 26 year olds. He loved his family, friends, and pets, and he also enjoyed life.

"We are all trying to live the rest of our life while a big piece of it is missing. Sam will never get married or have children, see his nieces or nephews grow up, or even see his youngest sister graduate. We will all have to learn to live with these facts."

The father also shared a warning to people on the roads, saying: "We hope in the future people will think more carefully about when and how they drive."

Nigel Fryer, mitigating, said: "Sam Bevan was his best friend... He is going to have to carry that guilt every day for the rest of his life."

After the case Sergeant Shane Draper, Serious Collision Investigation Unit at , said: "This is a reminder to everyone who gets behind the wheel your responsibility isn't just to ensure your own safety, but the safety of everyone around you."

He added: "This is a tragic case that has resulted in the needless loss of a life. Pearce's actions highlight the real dangers of irresponsible driving. The defendant drove carelessly at speed and lost control of the vehicle."