Four students killed in crash after driver lost control at about 94mph
Makyle Bayley, 22, Eva Darold-Tchikaya, 21, Anthony Hibbert, 24, and Daljang Wol, 22, died at the scene of the crash in Magdalen Street, Colchester, shortly before 4.40am on February 1.
All four were students at the University of Essex and were born in London.
Essex Coroner's Court heard on Friday that Mr Bayley was driving the Ford Focus, and had a blood alcohol level of about 2.5 times the drink drive limit, according to toxicology results.
Analysis of footage from a CCTV camera 170 metres away from where the car crashed showed the car was travelling at about 94mph, give or take 6.3mph, the court heard.
Essex's senior coroner Lincoln Brookes said the medical cause of death for Mr Bayley and Miss Darold-Tchikaya was severe traumatic head injuries, and for Mr Wol and Mr Hibbert it was multiple injuries.
Mr Brookes concluded all four died as a result of a road traffic collision.
Mr Brookes said they were students at the University of Essex and three of them were promising basketball players, 'all of them with a lot of potential and dreams for the future'.
They met up for an 'ordinary night out as students' and people were talking afterwards, then all four got in a black Ford Focus ST.
He said: 'It was driven by Makyle Bayley, I'm quite satisfied that three of them were under the influence of alcohol, Makyle Bayley over 2.5 times the limit for drink driving in this country, and for what it's worth, his two male friends were also in drink but of course they weren't driving. I note that Eva it seems had not been drinking at all.'
Mr Brookes added the vehicle was seen at 'great speed' and said he does not know why.
About 180 metres from the final resting point, his speed was about 94mph, give or take about 6mph, the car had its headlights on and they had their seat belts on, the coroner said.
He added it was the speed and intoxication that were the main drivers in understanding the crash.
The vehicle's off-side wheel hit a small island and it went across the opposite carriageway, over the footpath, hitting steps outside a property, which sent the car turning and collided roof-first on its side into a building, ending up either wholly or partially inside the building, Mr Brookes said.
'There was no possibility of these individuals ever being saved,' he said.
The coroner gave his conclusion then told the court what would be on the records, and in terms of Mr Bayley, said he 'died of severe traumatic head injuries when the vehicle he was driving crashed into a building'.
He added: 'He had lost control of his vehicle due to grossly excessive speed, approximately 94mph in a 30mph zone, and alcohol intoxication.
'The three other passengers also died.'
Pen portraits of Mr Bayley, Ms Darold-Tchikaya, Mr Hibbert and Mr Wol, written by their families, were read to the court by the coroner.
Mr Bayley's family described him as a 'truly remarkable young man whose light and energy touched all who knew him'.
Their statement added: 'You were the best of all of us, you will never be forgotten.'
Mr Wol's family said he was 'always encouraging those around him to strive for the best', and added: 'We wish to convey to the inquest that Daljang was a valued member of not just his family but his community.'
Mr Hibbert's family said: 'It's difficult to summarise 24 years of memories, love, joy and happiness in one sitting, but what we can take away from today is that TJ has played an important role in our lives. He knew how to live life to the fullest.'
They added: 'The void that he has left can never be filled and he will forever hold a special place in our hearts.'
And Ms Darold-Tchikaya's family described her as a 'calm and kind soul'.
They said: 'There are no words to describe our despair and pain, we will miss our beautiful daughter until the end of time.'
The coroner offered his condolences to the families who attended the inquest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Showjumper, 37, and horse rider, 26, face jail after being found guilty over threesome with underage girl
A horse riding instructor and woman rider are facing jail for targeting an underage teenage girl for threesome sex. Equestrian boss Guy Simmonds, 37, and fellow rider Lauren Jarvis, 26, plotted the sex session despite knowing the schoolgirl was under 16 - and the pair then agreed a 'pact of silence' after horse riding lessons. A court heard the pair had 'no doubt at all' that the schoolgirl was under 16 before the threesome and vowed to keep it secret. They have now been found guilty of sexual activity with a child.. Prosecutor James Hartson said: 'At all times he knew how old she was and so did Jarvis. The victim told him herself in one of the very first messages she sent him. 'They didn't care about her age when they were planning and engaging in a so-called threesome with the victim. 'They also knew what they did was wrong and they agreed a pact of silence when they got wind she had started to talk about it.' Cardiff Crown Court heard Simmonds bragged he was a 'top showjumper' after targeting the underage girl on Facebook. Mr Hartson said there was a 'clear element of grooming behaviour' from Simmonds before the threesome in Jarvis' home in January last year. In one message read to court, the girl asked Simmonds what he would make her do and he replied: 'You will both do what daddy says. It will be fun.' Simmonds later messaged Jarvis saying: 'Hey, I have a feeling that she has said about us. 'If anyone asks for sake of both of us nothing ever happened that night xx.' Jarvis replied: 'Hey, who's she told? 'Oh god has she really, what's she trying to do, make our lives hell? Of course I will xx.' The court heard Simmonds told police in interview he did not have any from of sexual contact with the victim. But he made calls to his mother from prison instructing her to pay the victim's 'fickle' family £50,0000 to drop the charges. He said: 'There is £20,000 in my account. Just f***ing give it to them. 'I don't care. £20,000 now and then £10,000 a year for three years.' Simmonds claimed he had been given permission to 'stray' from his partner Rebecca Dimes, 34, on the condition she 'did not want to know anything about it.' Jarvis claimed any messages about a threesome were 'banter and a wind up'. Simmonds, of Undy in Gwent, and Jarvis, from Newport, were both found guilty by a jury of sexual activity with a child. Simmonds was found not guilty on five other charges of sexual activity with a child relating to the same victim. Judge Lucy Crowther adjourned the case for sentencing on September 29.
Times
28 minutes ago
- Times
Neil Woodford and his firm fined £46m over fund's collapse
The fallen fund manager Neil Woodford and his defunct firm have been fined £46 million for their role in the collapse of their high-profile fund, and he was banned from any senior City role including managing money for retail investors. The Financial Conduct Authority said Woodford, whose asset management empire collapsed in 2019 after its principal Woodford Equity Income Fund was capsized by a wave of redemption requests, was not fit and proper to run retail funds or hold any senior City role. Woodford, 65, is facing a £5.9 million fine while Woodford Investment Management, of which he is the majority shareholder, is being hit with a £40 million penalty. Woodford's personal penalty was doubled on the grounds that a smaller sum would not have had been a sufficient deterrent to prevent other fund managers making the same choices, the FCA said. The size of the fine was also determined by Woodford's 'extremely prominent profile' in the investment industry and because of the damage he had inflicted on confidence in the wider retail fund management sector. The judgments remain 'provisional' as Woodford, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, is challenging them in the Upper Tribunal. Responding to the watchdog's decision notice, he said he strongly disagreed with it and suggested he would expose the FCA's own regulatory failings in the affair. The tribunal case, he said, would 'shed much-needed light on the events leading to and following the fund's suspension, including the regulator's role in those events'. Hundreds of thousands of investors were left out of pocket when the Woodford Equity Income Fund was suspended in 2019 and later put into liquidation. They have got back £1 billion less than the value of their holdings on the day the £3.6 billion fund was suspended. • Johanna Noble: Woodford scandal shows why we still need to name and shame Woodford's reputation sank from a lionised stockpicking genius to negligent incompetent in the space of a few months. At the heart of the matter was Woodford's refusal to accept any responsibility for managing the liquidity of the Woodford Equity Income Fund so it was able to withstand redemption requests without resorting to a fire sale of assets, the FCA said. At his zenith, Woodford attracted more than £15 billion of institutional and investor money when he defected from Invesco Perpetual with a superlative track record to set up his own firm WIM in 2014. In the four years before the collapse he and his co-founder Craig Newman extracted £98 million in dividends from WIM. Woodford used the money to indulge his passion for Ferraris and Porsches, a stable of horses, a 423-hectare Cotswold farm and a £6.35 million Devon holiday home. • Neil Woodford's tearful video claim: 'We did nothing wrong' The FCA concluded that between July 2018 and June 2019 WIM and Woodford made 'unreasonable and inappropriate investment decisions' and 'disproportionately sold more liquid investments [those that are easier to sell] and bought less liquid ones over this period'. Steve Smart, joint enforcement director at the FCA, said: 'Being a leader in financial services comes with responsibilities as well as profile. Mr Woodford simply doesn't accept he had any role in managing the liquidity of the fund. The very minimum investors should expect is those managing their money make sensible decisions and take their senior role seriously. Neither Neil Woodford nor Woodford Investment Management did so, putting at risk the money people had entrusted them with.' The honours forfeiture committee in the Cabinet Office has come under fresh pressure to remove the CBE awarded to Woodford in 2013 for services to the UK economy. A campaign group including MPs and financial think tanks renewed its call for the honour to be revoked because of the 'terrible harm' he caused. Woodford has argued that the bulk of investor losses were down to the decision to liquidate the Woodford Equity Income Fund rather than reopen it after the suspension pause. The FCA accepted that Woodford's conduct did not amount to a lack of integrity, but was merely negligent.
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Speeding motorcyclist incriminated himself in social media post
A motorcyclist who filmed himself speeding at almost 100 mph was caught on his dash-cam footage after it went viral on Instagram. Benjamin Males, 22, was incriminated by his social media post, which attracted more than a million views when he uploaded the video in April, despite his efforts to conceal his identity by tagging the video's location as Mexico. The footage showed the motorcyclist speeding along country roads in Shropshire at 98mph and pulling dangerous wheelies. The rider also went on to have several near misses and reached speeds of 89 mph in a 50 mph zone in wet conditions, according to West Mercia Police. 'An appalling disregard for road safety' At one point, he almost lost control after zooming across a roundabout, and his front wheel can be seen lifting off the ground. Police officers were able to identify Males as the rider in the footage and said the video showed 'an appalling disregard for road safety'. He was arrested and charged with five counts of dangerous driving, which he pleaded guilty to at Telford Magistrates Court on Wednesday, July 30. Males of Shrewsbury was disqualified from driving for 18 months, after which he must then pass an extended test. 'Dangerous behaviour on our roads' He was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, given a rehabilitation order and fined £199. PC Jack Jackson, from Telford's Operational Policing Unit, said: 'I want to make it absolutely clear that we will take robust action when we see dangerous behaviour on our roads, including when it's posted online. 'The footage in this case, uploaded by Males himself to Instagram, showed an appalling disregard for road safety. 'His conviction should serve as a stark warning that social media is not a shield from prosecution. 'We have at our disposal a variety of means to identify individuals from social media, even when they take extra measures to obscure their identity, and this serves as proof of the effectiveness of our investigations. 'Dangerous riding doesn't just put the rider at risk, it endangers innocent road users and influences others to copy reckless behaviour. 'If you choose to put lives at risk on our roads, you can expect to be held accountable.'
