Speeding drunk driver who killed his murderer pal in a New Year's Eve crash is jailed

Daily Mail​

07-05-2025

A 'profoundly drunk' dad-of-three who killed his murderer pal in a horrific car crash has been jailed.
Stephen Cliff, 40, was driving in the early hours of New Year's Eve in 2022 when he smashed his car into a tree in County Durham.
The passenger - killer Stephen Bonallie - died that night from head injuries, with his victim's mother saying he 'was punished by someone higher up'.
Just a year earlier, the 32-year-old was released from prison after savagely killing disabled Brent Martin, 23, who begged for his life as Bonallie beat him senseless alongside two others.
Cliff was also seriously injured in the accident at 2am on the A167 and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
The Audi A6 driver was sentenced to eight years behind bars at Teesside Crown Court today and is disqualified from driving for 15 years and four months.
A jury was shown Cliff driving at an 'excessive' speed on a 40mph road and how he tried to regain control after attempting to pull off a 'dangerous' overtaking manouevre before smashing into a tree.
Judge Jonathan Carroll told Cliff: 'The CCTV that I had the benefit of watching demonstrates without any doubt that you were profoundly drunk.
'Your driving was highly impaired by the consumption of alcohol. I'm also very satisfied your driving was at grossly excessive speed.
'You carried out a highly dangerous overtaking manoeuvre. It was after you sought to recover that you clipped the kerb and that started a sequence of attempts to regain control with catastrophic consequences.'
Judge Carroll said he had decided not to 'focus' on Bonallie's past but 'on the other side of his humanity'.
'He was a human being and like all of us there is more than just one side to him,' he added.
'There is often nothing more moving than hearing the statement of a loving mother describing the loss of a loved child.'
Bonallie's mother told the court she will 'never forget that day' when she heard her son had died.
'It was like someone had ripped my heart out and broke it into a million pieces. Stephen Cliff broke my heart that day,' she said.
'My boy Stephen was going to start a new life, that's never going to happen now.
'He was a loving son who would always make you laugh and if you were feeling down he would make you smile.'
Cliff's lawyer said that the driver still suffers today from his injuries and feels genuine remorse for killing his friend.
Steven Reed said: 'Mr Cliff suffered extensive life-threatening injuries at the time of the collision.
'The severity was so that it resulted in his family being told he was unlikely to survive. His mobility will never fully recover.'
Bonallie was part of a gang of three young men who killed Mr Martin who had learning difficulties in Sunderland in August 2007 over a £5 bet when the trio challenged each other to see who could knock him out first.
The shocking crime saw the vulnerable man kicked and stamped on, before being left to die with his pants around his ankles.
William Hughes, then 21, Marcus Miller, then 16, and Bonallie, then 17, were convicted of murder in 2008. Bonallie was jailed for a minimum of 18 years.
Bonallie was part of a violent group, two of whom were trained boxers and delivered blows into Mr Martin's face purely 'for sport'.
Throughout the attack, Brent pleaded for the gang not to hit him because he thought they were his friends.
Bonallie's 18-year sentence was cut to 14 years following a review by a High Court judge after he made 'exceptional and unforeseen' progress in prison.
Mr Martin's heartbroken mother, Brenda, says the death of her son's killer was an act of God.
'It's very sad for both families. Jesus works in funny ways. Stephen Bonallie was punished, which is only right,' Ms Martin, 77, said.
'He was punished by someone higher up. I was told about Stephen's death through my children.
'My daughter posted about it online saying how sorry she was for the heartache it brought his parents.
'He did a bad thing but people don't forget. You learn to live with what happened, you've got to.
'The pain never goes away, it's been 15 years since he died. Brent is with us every day in many ways.'
Posting on social media after the crash, Mr Martin's twin sister, Danielle Flynn, said: 'This is Stephen Bonallie, one of the three who murdered my twin brother.
'This year, when he was released I spent it upset, angry he was getting to start his life again when he was a big part in my brother losing his.
'However I found out yesterday morning in disbelief that he died in a car accident. I spent the day with mixed emotions happy, sad, gutted etc....
'God works in mysterious ways and I think it comes to us all. I guess it's because I'm human I know what it feels like to lose a brother and my mother knows what it feels like to lose a son so condolences to his family.'
Bonallie's family said at the time of the crash: 'It is with deepest regret that we announce the death of our Stephen James Bonallie, 32 years, who was involved in a tragic road traffic collision on the A167, Durham, on the morning of Saturday, December 31, 2022.
'He was a much loved son, brother, boyfriend, nephew, uncle, brother-in-law and cousin and will be sadly missed.
'We wish to thank everyone for their support and ask to be left so that we can grieve in peace.'