'Idiot' driver killed beloved grandad in head-on smash - before blaming him on social media

An 'idiot' driver overtook numerous cars on the wrong side of the road while driving twice the speed limit - before crashing into an elderly couple's vehicle, killing a man.

Caleb Mansfield-Marr, 22, sped up to the junction of Ashton Road and Lingard lane in Bredbury, Stockport, in August last year. A woman felt her car ‘shake’ as he drove past, while another driver said he was ‘driving like an idiot’.

As grandparents Jack and Judith Howe turned right onto Lingard Lane, Mansfield-Marr crashed into them head-on.Mr Howe, 76, was left with serious internal injuries and sadly died weeks later. His wife of 50-years was left with serious injuries, but made a full recovery.

Mansfield-Marr, from Hyde, was also hurt and posted a picture online of his injuries. Police later found videos on his phone - including one in which he filmed himself driving with his feet hanging out of the window.

He later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving; causing serious injury by dangerous driving; and causing death by driving while disqualified and without insurance.

Prosecutor Robert Smith told Minshull Street Crown COurt that at around 11.20am on August 5, Mrs Howe was driving her Toyota Aygo along Ashton Road in Bredbury when she approached the junction with Lingard Lane. Her husband Jack was in the passenger seat.

She gave way to several cars before making the turn. Mansfield-Marr, driving a VW Polo in the opposite direction, had already overtaken two cars on the wrong side of the road at speeds of 64mph. The road was governed by 30mph limit.

“Had the defendant been driving at 30mph, Mrs Howe would have had ample time to complete her turn without the defendant taking any action,” the prosecutor added.

The VW Polo collided with the Toyota Aygo sending both cars spinning across the junction. Mrs Howe was seriously injured. Nearby builders used angle grinders and crowbars to get her out of the car. She and her husband were rushed to hospital.

She suffered from a number of injuries including a broken pelvis and ribs, and was treated and discharged after eight weeks. Mr Howe suffered multiple injuries to his body. CT scans later showed significant wounds to his spleen as well as a collapsed lung.

Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died on September 25. Mansfield-Marr was also injured and taken to hospital. He later took a picture of himself and uploaded it online with the caption: “Fractured spine…chipped tooth…cut on head… old man pulled out.”

He was later arrested and interviewed and his phone was seized. Officers found a number of videos in which he had filmed himself driving.

One video showed him driving at 80mph in the motorway in cruise control with his feet out of the driver’s window. In another he filmed himself doing doughnuts in a car park and another showed him overtaking other cars.Speaking of her husband’s death, Mrs Howe said: “The morning of 25 September 2023 changed my life forever, I became a widow. My lovely kind and caring husband of fifty years had passed away. No more companionship, conversations, laughs or celebrations to share together.

“I am healing from my injuries, but nothing can heal my loss of losing Jack, my husband and my best friend.” Their son, Richard, said: “Our world feels like a dark place without his light,” he said.Sarah, their daughter, said she had driven past the collision but did not realise it was her parents. “He was a kind, doting and supportive man, and someone I looked up to. I don’t think I will recover from this,” she added.And their third child, Louise, said: "Our family structure is fractured, we are not able to regroup and never will - there will always be one missing piece.”

The court heard that Mansfield-Marr had previous driving matters on his record including for speeding and failing to provide driver details. He was banned at the time for six months.An image later recovered from his phone showed Mansfield-Marr holding the letter informing him he was disqualified next to a gas hob, the court heard.Mitigating, John Dye said his client had written multiple letters to the family of Mr Howe apologising for his behaviour.

The barrister said he was diagnosed with ADHD which reflected in him ‘acting like a teenager’.Judge Angela Nield, sentencing, described Mansfield-Marr’s driving as ‘frankly appalling’, and said: “This was not a one off but a habit, and a habit to be celebrated on social media. It was a matter of pride.”Mansfield-Marr, of St Paul’s Gardens, was jailed for 12 years and banned from driving for 16 years. He will serve two thirds of the jail term before being released on licence.

PS Louise Warhurst from GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit said; “Mansfield-Marr is a young man with a truly appalling driving history, and he bears full responsibility for this tragedy.

“During our investigation, we uncovered a number of videos that were taken on Mansfield-Marr’s phone showinghim driving dangerously at astonishing speeds. In one of the videos we found, Mansfield-Marr was driving at speeds exceeding 80mph on a motorway with his feet crossed and resting out of the window while using cruise control.

“This is a dangerous man who believes the rules and laws that all other road users abide by daily do not apply to him. At the time of the collision, he was a disqualified driver, but even that did not deter him from driving dangerously and at speeds that were wholly inappropriate for the conditions. He acted so brazenly, not caring that he could be caught.