Heartbroken granddaughter says 'Bampi was my whole world' as 'show-off' killer driver locked up
Daniel Boucher was speeding and 'showing off' in his car when he knocked down and killed 66-year-old grandfather David Chaplin
Daniel Boucher
(Image: Gwent Police )
The granddaughter of a man killed by a speeding driver while walking his dog has described how her "bampi" was her "whole world" and losing him meant losing a part of herself.
Daniel Boucher was driving too fast and was "showing off" when he lost control of his Peugeot 207 GTI on a bend causing the car to leave the road, flip onto its side, and hit 66-year-old David Paul Chaplin. Mr Chaplin was found unconscious on a grass verge beside the road and despite the best efforts of medics could not be saved.
The defendant admitted causing the death of the grandfather by careless driving but denied the more serious offence of causing death by dangerous driving. The 28-year-old was convicted following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court in May this year and sentencing was adjourned for a pre-sentence report.
At the time of the fatal collision in April 2023 Boucher was working for a window-cleaning firm based in Nelson, Caerphilly. The trial heard that he left Whitebeam industrial estate at around 5.10pm on April 18 and was heard to be revving the car's engine for no obvious reason. A colleague described him as "showing off".
A short time later Boucher took a bend "way too fast" and lost control of his car on Ty Du Road. The vehicle was travelling sideways when it left the road, crashed into a lamppost, flipped onto its side, and hit Mr Chaplin who happened to be walking his dog along the road having himself just finished work.
The victim suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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At trial the court heard that a crash investigator calculated the maximum safe speed for negotiating the bend in question was between 45mph and 55mph. The actual speed the Peugeot was travelling at when it left the road is not known.
No mechanical issues were found on the car which could have caused the loss of control and the investigator concluded the cause was down to the speed the vehicle was travelling and the driver taking his foot off the accelerator in the bend which caused a shift in the weight distribution of the vehicle – a phenomenon known as "lift-off oversteer".
At trial it was argued that the defendant's driving which caused the death had been careless rather than dangerous but that was rejected by the jury. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter
Daniel Boucher outside Cardiff Crown Court during his trial
(Image: John Myers )
Daniel Boucher, of New Road, Argoed, Blackwood, had previously been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving when he returned to the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions and at the time of the crash held a clean driving licence.
In a statement read to the court by prosecution barrister Owen Williams a granddaughter of the victim described the impact of the death of her bampi on her and her family.
She said when she lost her bampi she also lost part of herself and lost her "spark" which she doesn't think she will ever get back. She described her granddad as her "father-figure" in life and as "my best friend and my whole world".
The granddaughter said Mr Chaplin was an "amazing man" who had a positive impact on the lives of all those he met and said the devastating consequences of what happened on the day still "haunt" the family. She said the family were left with so many unanswered questions about why their loved one died, adding: "I know if my love alone could save him he would have lived for forever."
Hashim Salmman, for Boucher, said the defendant realised that no words could ease the pain and suffering he had caused to Mr Chaplin's family but said the defendant wanted them to know he was genuinely remorseful for his action. He said it was open to the court to find that as speed was the only factor in the case the defendant's driving was "just over" the threshold of being dangerous.
Judge Vanessa Francis said the street on which the fatal crash happened was "wide and well-appointed" and said there were no other vehicles on the road at the time of the crash apart from that of a colleague of the defendant who was traveling behind him. She said it was "tragic indeed" that when the defendant lost control of his car Mr Chaplin was directly in his path as he walked his dogs after leaving work.
She said: "This was a tragic miscalculation of what speed was safe to negotiate that bend and your ability to control the car and keep other road users safe as is your responsibility."
The judge said she accepted the defendant stayed at the scene of the crash and was one of those who helped perform CPR on Mr Chaplin and she said she accepted the defendant's remorse was genuine.
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Boucher was sentenced to four years in prison and was banned from driving for six years and four months The court heard the defendant is "likely" to serve 40% of his sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant must pass an extended test before he can a licence.
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