The accused of the fatal accident accepts that it caused deaths

A man accepted he killed a father and son on a Jersey road but not that he was driving dangerously, a court heard.

Dylan Pounds’ defense lawyer Ian Jones told the Royal Court that while the facts of the case involving the deaths of Dean and Charlie Lowe on August 5, 2023 were tragic, the 29-year-old did not have to prove anything .

Mr Pounds has admitted causing death by careless driving and failing to stop and report an accident, but denies two charges of causing death by dangerous driving and one of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.

Crown prosecutor Matthew Maletroit said Pounds’ denials were ridiculous.

Father and son Dean and Charlie, aged 48 and 11 respectively, died after being hit by a van while walking along La Rue de Fauvic in Grouville.

The court was told that Mr Pounds would not give evidence and that no further witnesses would be called to give evidence.

Jones said it was up to the prosecution to prove its case.

“Mr Pounds accepts that he caused the deaths of Dean and Charlie Lowe and accepts that he was driving carelessly, but was he driving dangerously?” said.

Jones added that the speed Pounds was going at the time, which an investigation indicated was 47 mph (76 kph), 17 mph (27 kph) over the speed limit, was not dangerous in itself.

He said that while Pounds had used his mobile phone before the accident, he was not using it at the time of the incident.

Addressing whether Pounds was under the influence, Jones said the defendant’s drinking buddy, Callum Best, who gave evidence on Tuesday, was not a reliable witness because there was a lot of information he could not remember.

‘Completely avoidable deaths’

Responding to Mr Jones’ statements, Maletroit said the Lowes had a “perfect right” to feel safe on the road, but Mr Pounds was a “serious danger” to himself and others.

He said Mr Pounds’ denials were “frankly ridiculous”.

“The deaths of Dean and Charlie Lowe were premature, unjust and completely avoidable,” Maletroit said.

He added that Mr Pounds was distracted by a phone and was also driving while intoxicated, so the drink-driving charge had to be considered in relation to all the facts.

Maletroit said the van was “a wreck” and was seen on camera speeding on another road near Overdale after the incident had already occurred.

The court was shown two pieces of the van involved in the fatal accident that were recovered after the incident.

A piece of panel was recovered from under the passenger seat of the van, while another part of the vehicle was found on La Rue a Don and not at the crash site.

Footage from a body camera worn by Detective Luke Freeman during Mr Pounds’ arrest was also shown in court, during which the defendant was heard asking officers when the accident occurred.

He also had with him the keys to the van involved in the incident and his mobile phone, which the prosecution said he was using while driving the vehicle, at the time of the arrest.

At the start of the trial, the prosecution said Pounds had been drinking in several pubs in Jersey on the day of the accident before returning to his van and leaving the Pembroke pub car park.

A verdict is expected Monday.

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