Unaccompanied learner over cannabis limit jailed for four years
A FORMER council leader was killed by a drug-driver as he walked to church, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Noel Crowley, aged 85, from Port Talbot, was struck by a car while crossing Water Street at around 5:30pm on December 7 last year.
The court heard Mr Crowley was using an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing when he was hit by a Skoda Fabia driven by Zack Mason, who had just pulled out of the car park at Blanco’s Hotel, where he worked.
Prosecutor Hannah George said Mr Crowley had already stepped onto the road and was “established on the crossing” and clearly visible to drivers.
The impact threw Mr Crowley onto the vehicle’s bonnet and windscreen before he landed around three metres from the point of collision.
Members of the public rushed to help before emergency services arrived.
Mr Crowley was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff suffering severe head injuries and fractures to his ribs and pelvis. He died three days later.
The court heard Mason, who was aged 20 at the time of the crash, was arrested at the scene.
A blood test later showed he had 2.3mg of cannabis per 100ml of blood — above the legal limit of 2mg.
During police interview, Mason said another driver had flashed him out of the car park and that he had briefly turned his attention towards that vehicle while thanking the driver.
He told officers he had last consumed cannabis two days earlier and admitted that driving without a qualified driver accompanying him was a “stupid” decision.
The court heard Mason had been issued with a provisional driving licence in April 2021, but it was revoked the following year after he was caught driving without insurance.
Mr Crowley had served as leader of Neath Port Talbot Council and was widely recognised for his public service.
He had been awarded a CBE, was a Deputy Lieutenant, a member of the Order of St John, had received the Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice honour and was made a Freeman of the Borough.
In a statement read to the court, his family described him as a man of “fairness and compassion” who had dedicated his life to helping others and championing social equality.
They said he had been “the man who kept our world turning” and that he is missed “in every tiny detail of the day”.
The court heard that Mr Crowley’s wife of seventy years, Anne, now sleeps with the hat he was wearing when he was struck.
Judge Huw Rees described Mr Crowley as a “much loved and much respected” member of the community.
He said: “No sentence that a court can impose can mark the value of the life that has been lost.”
David Singh, defending, said Mason had taken full responsibility for what had happened and had not used cannabis since the incident.
He said the case did not involve speeding or phone use, but accepted Mason had “clearly not been concentrating”, with devastating consequences.
Zack Mason, now aged 22, of Lorraine Close, Sandfields, Port Talbot, had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the legal limit for a specified drug, and to causing death while driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
With credit for his guilty pleas, he was jailed for four years.
He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence.
Mason was also banned from driving for seven years and must pass an extended driving test before he can apply for a licence again.
