A 27-year-old woman who killed a couple and left their toddler son orphaned in a head-on crash while hurrying to a beauty salon has been spared a prison sentence.
Laila Barnard-Wigley was driving a black Mercedes GLA in torrential rain when her car crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a Peugeot carrying Dean Yarrow, 33, and his partner Faye Wardle, 32.
The couple were pronounced dead at the scene following the collision in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, on May 7, 2021.
Their two-year-old son, who was travelling with them, suffered serious injuries.
Barnard-Wigley was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but those charges were later dropped.
She subsequently admitted two counts of causing death by careless driving.
The court heard she had been in a hurry to reach a beauty salon at the time of the crash, where she intended to sell makeup, when her vehicle is said to have aquaplaned in what were described as ‘biblical’ weather conditions.
Her Mercedes is said to have crossed onto the opposite carriageway after aquaplaning, colliding head-on with the couple’s Peugeot as they travelled in the opposite direction.
Laila Barnard-Wigley was driving a black Mercedes GLA in torrential rain when her car crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a Peugeot carrying Dean Yarrow, 33, and his partner Faye Wardle, 32
Barnard-Wigley was said to have been ‘in a hurry’ to get to a beauty salon to try to sell some makeup to the owner
The impact forced the Peugeot into a nearby field, leaving both Mr Yarrow and Miss Wardle fatally injured.
Victim impact statements were read out at Hull Crown Court as Barnard-Wigley was sentenced.
Mr Yarrow’s mother told the court she believed she had previously understood grief, but said she had ‘never known so much pain’, adding that her world had been ‘destroyed’.
She said she put on ‘a brave face’ each day simply to cope, but described feeling numb and ‘broken beyond repair’.
‘It has been a very difficult four-and-a-half years since we lost Dean and Faye,’ she said.
Miss Wardle’s father told the court that the ‘silence is deafening’ in his home since the deaths, adding: ‘My life at home is a very sad one.’
Her sister described Miss Wardle as ‘the person I looked up to’, telling the court that both victims were ‘the life and soul of any party’.
She added: ‘It feels like part of my identity has been taken. I know that I am not the person I used to be.’
Her Mercedes is said to have crossed onto the opposite carriageway after aquaplaning, colliding head-on with the couple’s Peugeot as they travelled in the opposite direction. Pictured: Barnard-Wigley in 2023
Sentencing her, the judge said Barnard-Wigley had shown genuine remorse, had a strong work record and was currently self-employed. Pictured: Barnard-Wigley appears at Hull Crown Court charged with causing two deaths by dangerous driving in 2023
Mitigating, Richard Dawson said the case was ‘tragic’ and had ‘catastrophic consequences’ for all involved.
He said Barnard-Wigley had been left traumatised by guilt and remorse, and that the collision arose from what he described as a ‘simple driver error’ in difficult weather conditions.
Mr Dawson told the court she had failed to appreciate the risks of aquaplaning while driving in wet conditions, adding that the crash resulted from a ‘momentary lapse’ and ‘misjudgement’, rather than prolonged poor driving.
He said the incident was ‘entirely out of character’ and that Barnard-Wigley had consistently expressed remorse and concern for the victims’ families.
Sentencing her, the judge said Barnard-Wigley had shown genuine remorse, had a strong work record and was currently self-employed.
She was handed a 21-month prison sentence suspended for two years, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and made subject to a six-month curfew between 9pm and 6am.
Barnard-Wigley was also disqualified from driving for five years and must pass an extended retest before she can drive again.
