Drivers who raced each other before fatal crash in Huddersfield jailed

Two drivers who were racing each other before causing a fatal crash have been jailed.

Darren Rowe and Jordan Watkiss, who did not know each other, reached speeds of up to 90mph before Rowe's Seat Ibiza crashed into a Citroen van being driven by 53-year-old Simon Hinchcliffe in Huddersfield on 9 October 2020.

Mr Hinchcliffe died at the scene, on Huddersfield Road in Kirkburton.

Rowe, 36, then fled, leaving his five-year-old child alone in the car. He went to a friend's house and tried to convince her to admit she had crashed the car.

He then wiped blood on her face and clothes to try to frame her and took her back to the scene of the collision. DNA found on the driver's seat and airbag revealed he was lying.

Rowe, of Alton Avenue, Dalton, Huddersfield, was found to be three times over the cannabis limit, uninsured and did not own a licence.

He admitted causing death by dangerous driving and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He was jailed for five years and banned from driving for seven-and-a-half years at Leeds Crown Court.

Jordan Watkiss, 22, of Ings Mill Drive, Clayton West in Huddersfield, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. He was jailed for four-and-a-half years and banned from driving for six years.

Detective Constable Simon Marshall of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team said: “My thoughts remain with Simon's family and although this sentence will not bring him back or make up for their devastating loss, I hope that it brings some small comfort to them."

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