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Bridlington Driver Who Killed Couple in Head-On Crash Gets Suspended Sentence and 5-Year Ban

Prosecutors said her car likely aquaplaned in torrential rain during a trip to a beauty salon.

Overview

  • Laila Barnard-Wigley, 27, admitted causing the deaths of Dean Yarrow, 33, and Faye Wardle, 32, by careless driving after a May 7, 2021 collision on the A165 near the Grindale crossroads in Bridlington.
  • She received a 21-month prison term suspended for two years, 200 hours of unpaid work, a six-month 9pm–6am curfew, and a five-year driving disqualification with an extended retest.
  • The couple died at the scene and their two-year-old son, who was in the car, suffered serious injuries.
  • The case shifted from initial dangerous-driving charges to guilty pleas for careless driving after a jury could not reach verdicts in December 2023 and a retrial was planned.
  • Court reports described heavy rain, standing water and probable aquaplaning as she hurried to a beauty salon to sell products, and relatives delivered statements detailing enduring grief.