A man who caused the deaths of a young couple driving off on a romantic holiday has been spared jail.
Alexander MacCallum, 28, previously pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the deaths of couple Katie Worrell, 25, and Adam Muskett, 27.
On Thursday, MacCallum, of Llanreath, was handed a suspended sentence and disqualified from driving for 18 months.
Swansea Crown Court heard how Miss Worrell, from Pembroke, and Mr Muskett, from Tenby, were going on holiday to celebrate Ms Worrell’s 26th birthday.
Hidden in the car, Mr Muskett had brought balloons, banners and presents to surprise his girlfriend.
They died after MacCallum’s Jaguar XKR hit the Ford Fiesta the couple were driving in while travelling on the A477 in Carmarthensire, West Wales on June 13, 2024.
Mr Muskett passed away at the scene of the crash and Ms Worrell later died in hospital after being airlifted for treatment.
The court heard at the time of the crash, rain meant the driving conditions were very poor.
Alexander MacCallum pled guilty to careless driving causing the deaths of couple Katie Worrell (pictured) and Mr Muskett. Ms Worrell died after being airlifted to hospital
Adam Muskett (pictured) died at the scene of the crash on the A477 in Carmarthensire, West Wales
Craig Jones, prosecuting, said the vehicles had been travelling in opposite directions, however, witnesses reported seeing MacCallum ‘travelling in the heavy rain’ and shortly before the collision, overtaking another vehicle.
Mr Jones said MacCallum lost control of his vehicle when he crossed to the opposite lane and collided with Ms Worrell and Mr Muskett.
After the collision, MacCallum said to a witness, Nicola Rees: ‘I was overtaking, put my foot down, and lost it in the wet.’
He was then seen taking pictures and videos of his car, until he was prohibited from doing so by a member of the fire service.
At the time of the crash, he was believed to be travelling at the 60mph speed limit, however, Mr Jones told the court he was driving inappropriately fast for the ‘horrendous’ weather conditions.
He said: ‘Both Adam and Katie sustained injuries during the course of the collision, which sadly proved unsurvivable.
‘Tragically, Mr Muskett died at the scene and Miss Worrell passed away at hospital.’
Martyn Hynes, defending, said MacCallum made a ‘fatal error of judgement’ and said he felt genuine remorse for the death of Mr Muskett and Ms Worrell.
Couple Adam Muskett and Katie Worrell died in a collision while driving off on a romantic holiday for Ms Worrell’s 26th birthday
He said: ‘There is a full realisation and acceptance by the defendant that he is responsible.
‘It was a momentary lapse (in judgment) as opposed to deliberate and sustained bad driving.’
After his arrest, MacCallum told police he had owned the Jaguar for about two months and not driven a car that powerful before.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving.
On Thursday, Judge Paul Thomas KC handed MacCallum a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and disqualified from driving for 18 months.
Sentencing MacCallum, Judge Thomas said: ‘This terrible event, nearly two years ago, lasted for a matter of seconds.
‘But it caused the utterly tragic death of two lovely young people, with their lives so full of promise.’
He added that while the speed limit was not exceeded, MacCallum’s driving was ‘simply not appropriate’ in the heavy rain.
In a tribute at the time of her death, Ms Worrell’s family said she ‘was a much-loved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and cousin’
He said: ‘You put your foot down when your vision was limited in horrendous driving conditions.’
Judge Thomas acknowledged that the families of the victims would like to ‘throw away the key,’ but said he was limited in the sentence he could impose.
He said MacCallum was of a ‘general excellent character’ and added he had no previous convictions.
Speaking to MacCallum, he said: ‘You are genuinely aware of the devastation, of the impact of what you have done.’
In a tribute at the time of the crash, Katie’s family said: ‘Katie was a much-loved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and cousin.
‘She lived life to the full, loving to travel and achieving so much in such a short time, she graduated with a Masters and worked hard.
‘She loved her friends and Adam beyond words. Katie was kind, caring and beautiful and our lives will never be the same without her.’
Adam’s family added: ‘Adam, our loving son, brother, grandson and nephew. He loved life, his friends, Tenby, football and Katie very much.
‘How do we move on without you, your big kind heart and cheeky smile. We are heartbroken and forever proud.’
