Death crash driver faces jail

Colin Adwent

DEATH crash driver Rhodie Povey is almost certainly facing a prison sentence after admitting responsibility for a collision that claimed the life of a 44-year-old woman.

Povey, of High Street, Stansfield, near Sudbury, almost died himself in the crash, which also left two other people fighting for their lives.

Ipswich Crown Court heard the 27-year-old had to be given life-saving treatment following the head-on collision between his Porsche 944S and a Citroen Saxo. The crash occurred on the A143 at Thurlow on May 5 last year.

Yesterday at a preliminary hearing for his case, the bespectacled Povey pleaded guilty to the death of Jane Gatt by dangerous driving.

She was in the Citroen when it was hit by Povey's car.

Although the full details of the case were not outlined in court it was said, according to police experts, Povey had been driving between 77mph and 81mph in a 60mph speed limit at the time of the tragedy.

One stationary motorist was said to have seen a blue 'flash' as Povey's Porsche went by in the offside lane with its wheels locked.

Richard Potts, representing Povey, said his client was pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity and, due to the injuries he sustained, had no recollection of the crash.

Before releasing Povey on bail before sentencing next month, Judge David Goodin told him there was an overwhelming likelihood of a prison term being imposed when he returned to the court.

Three people were airlifted to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge after the collision on May Day Bank Holiday. Another victim was transferred from West Suffolk Hospital to Papworth Hospital, near Cambridge, for surgery.

There were three people in the Citroen when the crash occurred including Mrs Gatt. Of the two others, one remained in a critical condition for more than ten days after the tragedy.

The third person was described as being in a serious condition more than a week later.