Teenager who killed girlfriend by dangerous driving boasted on Bebo about being in a fatal crash

13 April 2012

Victim: Rebecca Gough was killed when the car she was a passenger in crashed at a roundabout

Jamie McDonald, who was today jailed for more than two years for causing the death crash, had boasted about his bad driving on a social networking website.

Extracts from entries he wrote on Bebo were read to the court as details of the crash which killed 16-year-old Rebecca Gough were revealed.

McDonald, 19, killed Rebecca when he lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa at a roundabout.

Prior to the accident McDonald had boasted on Bebo about crashing his old cars, prosecuter Alan Blake told the court.

In a message to one pal, he wrote: "Ask (any) man that knows about me and cars, if anyone's going to kill themselves, it's me.

"I have crashed bare (bags of) times and I am still alive." 

Mr Blake told the judge at Reading Crown Court that McDonald, then aged 18 years, and Miss Gough were on their way home after spending the night together for an early Valentine celebration at the Dial House Hotel, Crowthorne, Berks.

The couple had reached Old Wokingham Road outside Crowthorne, when McDonald drove around a roundabout too fast and lost control.

His car hit the kerb and cannoned across the road. The passenger side - where Miss Gough was sitting - hit another car and was bent inwards by the impact.

A witness described the McDonald's driving as "vicious" and said she had thought the driver of the Corsa was messing about and would pull away at the last minute.

Mr Blake said: "The driver of the other car told police there was nothing she could do to get her car out of the way in time," said .

After the crash McDonald was crying and clutching his chest, claiming he had hit a drain and lost control, added the prosecutor.

Jamie McDonald (pictured with Rebecca) who was driving the car, bragged to friends about being in a fatal crash

Jamie McDonald (pictured with Rebecca) who was driving the car, bragged to friends about being in a fatal crash

Miss Gough, who was a year-11 pupil at Brakenhale School, Bracknell, was airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, with severe head injuries where she remained for nearly a week.

Mr Blake added: "She was pronounced dead on February 16, 2007, having suffered a severe, traumatic brain injury."

McDonald was arrested on March 3, 2007, and initially denied causing death by dangerous driving and a trial was due to be held in June 2008.

However, he changed his plea to guilty on April 26.

Mr Blake read out evidence from a friend of the tragic teenagers.

"A friend of the deceased in this case described being a passenger with this
defendant and being so alarmed by his driving that she would no longer travel with him in a car," he said.

Mr Blake also handed transcripts of messages McDonald had posted on the social networking site Bebo in which he talked about crashing his old car - a Renault 5 - and friends joked about him crashing his mother's car.

"In one message, in June 2006, he talks about his this new car - a Renault - which he was very excited about.

"He invited his friend to come down and have 'a proper mash-up' in the car," said the prosecutor.

The barrister read out parts of a victim impact statement from Rebecca's father, Brendan, who lives in Easthampstead, near Wokingham.

"He spoke about the need to keep Rebecca safe and the need to restrict her to a degree, while at the same time not wishing to hold her back," he said.

"That led to some conflict in the family in the weeks leading up to this incident.

"He said the loss by the family was a reality that they had to live with every day and it had been particularly keenly felt by Rebecca's brothers." 

Defending, Adam Crook, said his client had also been deeply affected by the loss of his girlfriend and had not driven a car since the fatal crash.

The teenager had panicked when he lost control of the car and regretted what he had done.

"It was the action of an inexperienced driver on a wet and greasy road," he said.

"He accepts that he was going too quickly." 

He added: "It has had a profound effect on him that he will always have to bear."

Judge Mary Jane Mowat described McDonald as a "show off driver" who had the "wrong attitude" to driving.

"Like many young men, you saw your car as a status symbol and gloried in driving it recklessly," she said.

"A lot of people have that attitude to driving but they ought to realise that if they do somebody is going to suffer the consequences that your girlfriend did." 

Jailing him for two years and three months, she said: "Cars are not toys, cars are not to show off with, they are not something to demonstrate your masculinity with. They can be very, very dangerous weapons." 

Brown-haired McDonald, wearing black trousers and a black shirt, showed no emotion as he was led away to the cells.

No comments are permitted on this story as legal proceedings are underway

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in