Argoed driver jailed for killing dog walker in Nelson crash
Mr Chaplin died at the scene on April 18, 2023.
Boucher pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of causing death by careless driving, but was found guilty by a jury of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Owen Williams, Mr Chaplin's granddaughter Abby Hillberg said: 'My bampi was a fit and healthy 66-year-old man at the time of his accident.
'He was out doing something he loved – walking his dogs – when his life was taken from him.
'As a family, this is something we will carry with us forever.
'My bampi and I were inseparable. He was my father figure in life.
'When I lost my bampi, I lost a piece of myself. My spark disappeared.'
Daniel Boucher crashed and hit David Chaplin as he was walking his dogs. (Image: Gwent Police)
During the trial, prosecutor Owen Williams said Boucher bragged to colleague Scott Williams about the 165 and 170 horsepower of his "turbocharged" car as they finished work.
He said the defendant was then "showing off" as he revved the engine with his workmate following in a car behind on the 30mph road.
The court heard Boucher was driving "way too fast" as he rounded a bend and "oversteered".
Mr Williams said the Peugeot mounted the pavement and collided with a lamppost before flipping onto its side and stopping on a grass verge.
Boucher admitted speeding to police officers at the scene saying: "I lost control of the car."
He later confessed: "What have I done? I'm sorry."
The court heard evidence that it would take a speed in excess of 45-55mph to cause a driver to lose control round the corner in the conditions that day.
Boucher, of New Road in Argoed, had no previous convictions and a previously clean driving record.
'There is nothing I can say to ease the pain and suffering caused,' said Hashim Salmman, mitigating.
He said Boucher showed 'genuine remorse' for his actions, and had always accepted criminal responsibility for the crash.
Mr Salmman added the defendant did not seek to minimise his offending and fully accepted the jury's verdict when speaking with the probation service.
Mr Salmman said Boucher tried to aid Mr Chaplin immediately after the crash.
Judge Vanessa Francis described the crash as 'a tragic miscalculation'.
Boucher was jailed for four years. He has been disqualified from driving for a total of six years and two months, and must pass an extended retest to regain his licence.
"This is a tragic case that has resulted in the needless loss of a life,' said Sergeant Shane Draper, the senior investigating officer. 'I would like to thank all those who assisted in our investigation and offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr Chaplin.
"The importance of driving carefully and to your ability at all times is never more poignant than in this case; the collision was so unnecessary. Dangerous driving ruins lives.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
Gang member who made £1.8m from crime to pay back just £10
Gang member who made £1.8m from crime to pay back just £10 Jade Strutt, 36, was involved in the enterprise by directing drug couriers and storing cash. Jade Strutt, 36, was jailed for nine years for her part in an organised crime gang based at a Newport hotel (Image: Gwent Police) A member of an organised crime gang (OCG) which stored £135,000 worth of Class A drugs at a hotel has been ordered to pay back just £10 despite benefiting by almost £2m. Drugs including heroin, cocaine, and MDMA were stored at two hotels. Ihtesham Ali Hassan, the manager of the Box Hotel in Newport, became involved in a drugs conspiracy headed by Nicholas Yhnell, 38. The OCG was involved in the supply of heroin, cocaine, and MDMA which was stored at the Box Hotel and its sister hotel the Box Guest House. Jade Strutt, 36, was also involved in the enterprise by directing drug couriers and storing cash. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter. The couriers based at the hotel would travel throughout the UK, delivering and collecting huge quantities of drugs and cash. An operation was launched by Gwent Police which saw five warrants executed in September last year at buildings in Newport and Cardiff involving 80 firearms officers and 100 supporting officers and staff. Among the items seized were five cars including a Range Rover and multiple phones. Article continues below Also seized was heroin with a street value of up to £9,000, cocaine with a street value of up to £74,000, MDMA powder with a street value up to £49,000, and MDMA tablets with a street value up to £6,000. More than 1.1m lignocaine tablets and paracetamol tablets were also seized. Further members of the OCG were arrested including Yhnell's wife Kelly Balchin, 39, David Watkins, 38, Richard Connors, 40, and Kayla Grubb, 32. The latter three were employed as "professional" couriers. Connors, partner of Strutt, was arrested in May last year in his car and was found in possession of 965,000 paracetamol tablets to be used as an agent to make heroin. Yhnell, of Newport was sentenced to 15 years and nine months imprisonment. Watkins, of Newport, was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Strutt, of Newport, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment. Connors, of Newport, was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Grubb, of Newport, was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Balchin, of Newport, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Article continues below At a Proceeds of Crime (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday Strutt was said to have benefited to the tune of £1,891,409 for her part in the enterprise but it was heard she has no available assets. Judge Simon Mills ordered the defendant to pay a nominal sum of £10.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Severn Bridge weight limit is being enforced say officials
The body responsible for the suspension bridge that connects Wales and England, via the M48 from Chepstow to Aust, was responding to the latest photograph of a lorry that appears to be over the 7.5 tonne limit crossing it emerged. National Highways has said it working with police and other bodies to uphold the ban introduced at the end of May and says it has installed automatic number plate recognition, ANPR, cameras and held a recent enforcement day on the crossing. Chris Pope, of National Highways, said: 'The numbers of vehicles breaching the ban is a small percentage and we are working with local police, through Operation Wolverine, as well as the DVSA and The Traffic Commissioner to prevent infringements and ensure that HGV drivers flouting the ban are dealt with.' He was responding after a photograph of a building supplies tanker crossing the bridge, from Chepstow, was taken on Monday, August 4. Before the temporary weight limit was put in place it was estimated around 10 per cent, or just over 3,200, of the 32,000 vehicle that cross it every day were HGVs over 7.5 tonnes. An enforcement day to support the implementation of the 7.5 tonne weight limit on the M48 Severn Bridge. Picture: National Highways. Drivers failing to abide by the restriction face a potential three penalty points and a £100 fine. Chepstow Bulwark and Thornwell councillor Armand Watts, who has constantly raised concerns over the impact of the weight restriction and how it is being managed, said the photograph raises doubts over its enforcement. He has been seeking information on the use of the ANPR cameras, while in July Monmouthshire councillors were told the cameras are in use but 'success' would depend on the back office capacity of Avon and Somerset Police which has responsibility for the Severn Bridge and the second Severn Crossing Prince of Wales Bridge. Labour's councillor Watts, who also raised his concern policing the restriction could be an additional burden on police, said: 'I've not seen any police at the bridge the last couple of weeks but they've probably got crimes to solve.' Officers from Gwent Police and vehicle licensing agencies were part of the enforcement day. Mr Pope, of the UK Government agency National Highways, said it has installed ANPR cameras, with enforcement supported by Avon and Somerset, while Gwent Police is conducting patrols to catch drivers who ignore the weight restriction. 'Operation Wolverine with Gwent Police is running for three months, and ANPR cameras have also now been installed at either end of the structure. We continue to work at pace with Avon and Somerset Police as we transition from physical enforcement to predominately digital via ANPR cameras,' said Mr Pope. 'There is extensive signage on the approach to the bridge and we have worked hard to raise awareness of the need for the ban including briefing hauliers, Logistics UK and the Road Haulage Association. The weight restrictions are essential to future-proof the bridge and hauliers must observe the signs and take an alternative route if their HGV is over 7.5 tonnes.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Teen died after police rush to her flat, but could not be saved due to 'frustrating' delay
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Alex Duce, 18, was found by police shortly after she lost consciousness inside her flat in Newport, Wales - and tragically died in hospital despite the attempts made to revive her Police were delayed in entering the flat of an 18-year-old woman who later died in hospital, an inquest has heard. Alex Duce was found by officers on the afternoon of September 11, 2022, at her second-floor flat in Newport, Wales, and died days later, Newport Coroners' Court was told. Alex, a care home worker and beauty student at Ebbw Vale College, was described as "popular" with "many friends." Hours before she was found, her mother reported her missing, saying a video call the previous evening had shown nothing unusual and that her disappearance was out of character. PC Michael Lammert attended the flat alone earlier that day. He was told by Alex's mother that she had been struggling with her mental health and had self-harmed around five weeks earlier. Gwent Police classified her as "medium" risk. In his notes, PC Lammert recorded that Alex neither drank alcohol nor used drugs and did not pose a danger to others, Wales Online reports. "All that I had was that there had been a previous incident where she had taken an overdose and that there were concerns she might do it again," PC Lammert told the inquest. "There was no immediacy. If there was a clear message relaying she was contemplating suicide then that would definitely have been a higher risk." Shortly before 11am, PC Lammert knocked on Alex's door and tried nearby flats, but there was no answer. A close friend told him she "does this from time to time," which he understood to mean she sometimes shuts herself off from family and friends. At this stage, police did not have sufficient evidence to force entry under section 17 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. PC Lammert then returned to Ebbw Vale station to trace people linked to Alex, including her foster family and a social worker, who said she sometimes struggled to maintain connections but was not considered particularly vulnerable. He was diverted to a higher-priority incident before being sent back to the Castle Street flat around 4pm, accompanied by PC Lauren Smith. Reports said several of Alex's loved ones were outside, banging on the door. PC Smith, trained in forced entry, had to assess whether to break in. Finding the necessary method of entry kit, which includes a hooligan bar and battering ram, proved difficult; it took about 30 minutes to locate the kit in another police vehicle. She described such delays as "frustrating," as at the time, only one kit was available per station. When they reached the flat, PC Smith was unaware of Alex's previous self-harm incidents. "That information was never made available to me," she told the coroner. "The sense of urgency increased while I was there as I gained more information." She said that had she known about the suicide risk earlier, she "might have changed approach." After a neighbour reported hearing footsteps and a "loud bang" from Alex's flat that afternoon, PC Smith decided to force entry just before 5pm. Using a battering ram five times, officers gained access and found Alex dead in her room. They believed she had recently lost consciousness and immediately began CPR while calling for backup and paramedics. PC Ethan O'Sullivan arrived at 5.03pm with a defibrillator and continued resuscitation until paramedics arrived. Alex, showing signs of life, was taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil for advanced life support. She remained on life support until it was switched off on 16 September. The inquest continues.
