A ‘coward’ from Corsham left his girlfriend to die after she fell off his quad bike.
Disqualified drug driver Alex Evans has been riding the vehicle – which was designed to carry one person – with Grace Vater, known as Gracie, sat on the rear rack on 23 December 2023.
While travelling along Whitehouse Lane near Shipton Moyne, just over the Wiltshire border, Gracie fell off the quad bike and sustained a significant head injury.
Instead of helping his girlfriend of five years, Evans fled the scene and hid the vehicle in an empty building.
Members of the public stopped to provided first aid to Gracie, who went into cardiac arrest. CPR was performed by locals ahead of two air ambulances and other emergency services arriving.
She was taken to hospital, where she died two days later – at 7pm on Christmas Day.
Evans was arrested later that day, when he returned home to his address in Monks Close, Corsham. In court, he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified and uninsured.
His act of leaving Gracie was described as “cowardly and shameful” by His Honour Judge Rupert Lowe, sitting at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 13 February).
The court was told that he left due to panic and distress, and because he knew he should not have been driving on a public road as he had been disqualified from driving two months prior.
Evans was jailed for two years and disqualified from driving for six years. He must serve at least half of his sentence and he will be required to pass an extended test before he can drive again.
A statement from Gracie’s mum, Angela Vater, was read to the court in which she described Gracie. It read: “She was always so kind and friendly to everyone she met. She was so caring, thoughtful, generous and bubbly. She was so happy all of the time and would do absolutely anything for anyone.
“Gracie was my best friend. Her loss is profound and words cannot begin to convey just how much of a hole her death has left in my life. Life will never be the same. I can’t believe I have to live the rest of my life like this, without her.
“Alex and Gracie were in a relationship for a long time and moved in together. I accepted Alex as part of the family, we would spend time with them as a family and it was nice to see Grace happy with Alex and that he was welcomed into the family.
“How Alex behaved after the collision makes me so incredibly angry and upset. To treat her with such disregard and to not stay with her.”
Gloucester Crown Court was told that due to working in the farming industry, Evans would often ride the quad bike with Gracie sat on the rear rack. This was described as a shared habit and Gracie had never fallen off before.
The quad bike was not designed to have passengers and it was an example of a vehicle being dangerously loaded, enhanced by the terrain.
Judge Lowe said this arrangement was neither safe nor lawful, and neither of them should have permitted it to happen, but ultimately Evans was the driver and it was his responsibility to not allow someone on the rear.
In mitigation, Evans’ defence barrister Matthew Harbinson said: “The fact is that had he known that there was such an inherent risk involved in allowing his partner, whom he loved, to ride on the back of his quad bike, he would never have allowed that practice to take place.
“For him it has been a tragedy, a matter of great personal loss and something that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.”
The court was told that two months prior to the collision Evans had been disqualified from driving after being convicted of driving while above the limit of controlled drugs, namely cannabis, in April 2023.
He was employed as a general farm worker, and the court was told he did not tell his employer that he could not drive as his job and accommodation would be at risk.
