Jake Loy sentenced to nearly five years after killing three friends in car crash

A learner driver has been jailed for nearly five years after killing three friends in a crash.

Loy, 19, pleaded guilty to causing the death of three boys by dangerous driving on the A711 near Dumfries on 16 March 2022. Loy has been sentenced to four years and eight months.

The three teenagers Tyler Johnston, Ian Cannon and Finlay Johns, all 16, died at the scene.

Three men who were in a Honda CR-V travelling on the other side of the road, also suffered serious injuries shortly after midnight. They were adhering to the 60mph speed limit.

Loy, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was disqualified from driving for eight years and banned from the road until passing an extended driving test is passed, at the High Court in Glasgow.

Judge Lord Harrower said that “no sentence can alleviate the anguish” of the victim’s families.

He said: "Your actual speed is unknown but the collision split it in two.

"The investigating officer was of the opinion that you must have been going much faster than the other car, which was driving at 60mph. I conclude you must have been driving in excess of the speed limit.

"Ian Cannon posted a message saying he was scared because you were swerving all over the place and you were a terrible driver and flooring it."

Loy's sentence was reduced due to changes on Scottish sentencing guidelines for under-25s. The changes were introduced the same year of the crash in 2022.

Sentencing, Lord Harrower said: "Three young lives have been lost. Three other individuals sustained serious injuries.

"You sustained serious injuries. The deceased were all friends and you have shown remorse.

"The social work report highlights concerns raised in psychological assessments carried out between the ages of 12 and 17 years old.”

Defending, Donald Findlay KC, said Loy had no recollection of the crash due to a head injury.

Mr Findlay said: “It was quite moving when he said that if he could take the place of them, he would have rather it had been him.”

Psychologist Professor Gary MacPherson assessed Loy and found he was “immature”.

Mr Findlay suggested he may have wanted to “endear himself” to his peer group and “impress” his friends, the court heard.

The court heard that Mr Cannon had sent a Snapchat message prior to the crash saying he was “scared” because Loy was a “terrible driver and flooring it”.

Mr Findlay called for a non-custodial sentence and said: “Prison may be punitive and cause Mr Loy more harm than good.

“Imprisoning Jake Loy won’t make him a better person, it won’t bring anybody back.”

The court heard the other driver had been adhering to the 60mph speed limit and although Loy’s speed was “unknown”, it would have exceeded this.

The court heard that 19-year-old Loy was speeding in his Honda Civic when he lost control and crashed into another car.

He was driving on a provisional licence, carrying three friends in the car at the time of the crash, who all died at the scene.

Lord Harrower said he would have given Loy a seven-year sentence had he not entered an early guilty plea.

He said: "In my view, there is no alternative to a substantial custodial sentence - albeit substantially less than for an older person."

Moira Orr, procurator fiscal for homicide and major crime, says it is a "truly tragic incident".

She said: “Jake Loy chose to drive his vehicle despite not holding a full licence and being an inexperienced road user.

“His decision to drive in the dangerous manner that he did has changed many lives forever.

“We hope this conviction brings some level of comfort to the loved ones of the three young men who lost their lives as well as those who were injured.”

Police Scotland road policing Chief Inspector Lorraine Napier said: “I would like to pay tribute to the families and friends of the three young men who lost their lives in this crash, and thank everyone who worked so diligently to bring this case to a conclusion.

“No conviction or sentence will ever reflect the impact the crash had on the families and friends of Ian, Tyler and Finlay, but I hope it brings some measure of closure.”

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