A DRINK-DRIVER whose car crashed into a ditch and plunged beneath icy water just two days after Christmas - killing his best friend - has been spared prison.
Liam Beaumont, of Ancona Rise, Darfield, lost control of a Renault Clio on the B1222 near Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, after ‘racing’ with another friend, York Crown Court heard.
The vehicle overturned and plunged into the water in Bishop Dyke, trapping him and his passenger Luke Clarke, 21, who drowned.
Beaumont - who moments before the accident had been overtaken by his other friend 23-year-old Kian Wallis, of Springfield Crescent, Darfield - was trapped inside the car, unconscious for a ‘very significant period of time’, but survived after ‘coming to, in the dark, in the water’ and finding an air pocket.
His best mate Luke, who was also trapped, couldn’t reach the same air space and, despite the efforts of Wallis and witnesses to pull him out, drowned in the ditch water just two days after Christmas on December 27, 2021.
Prosecutor James Lake said that prior to the accident, Beaumont, Wallis and Luke - known as The Three Musketeers because they were so close - had travelled to Cawood from Barnsley where they met a friend for a drink at the Jolly Sailor pub at about 6pm.
“From analysis of the scene investigators concluded that the Citroen van negotiated the bend, with the Renault very close behind,” added Mr Lake.
“While the Citroen came out of the bend as the road straightened, the Renault driven by Beaumont continued to turn through the bend and began to oversteer.
“The vehicle began to spin and plunged down an embankment into the dyke.
“The Renault struck the dyke on its offside and overturned, causing water to flood into the car.
“Wallis, who had lost sight of the Renault in his rear-view mirror, reversed back to the crash site.
“Mr Wallis found the overturned Renault in the dyke and tried to free Liam Beaumont and Luke.”
Unable to pull his friends out of the partially submerged vehicle, Wallis went looking for help and alerted residents living in one of the remote properties nearby.
They called the emergency services and a man and his son drove out to the crash site in a utility vehicle and tried to pull the Renault out of the dyke with a tow strap.
A short time later, police officers arrived and tried to get into the upturned Renault but the doors were still jammed shut.
The fire service arrived and took over the rescue effort and managed to get 24-year-old Beaumont out of the vehicle, finally freeing Luke through the tailgate.
They performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on Luke but couldn’t revive him and Beaumont was heard to say: “I’ve killed my mate.”
Luke, a self-employed joiner from Goldthorpe, was pronounced dead at the scene and the cause of death was drowning.
Wallis was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving - a breath test showed he was just under twice the legal limit and further tests also revealed traces of cocaine and cannabis.
Beaumont, who was taken to hospital with serious injuries, was arrested the following morning on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink or drugs.
Beaumont and Wallis were each charged with, and ultimately admitted, causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.
They appeared for sentence on Monday when the court was told that both men were on community orders at the time after being convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm on two men in a taxi rank in Barnsley town centre.
In a statement read out in court packed with family of all parties, Luke’s mum Claire Clarke said that her and his father’s lives ‘will never be the same’.
“Part of us died with Luke that day,” she added.
“His grandparents feel as though their precious grandchild has been snatched out of their hands at 21 years of age.”
She said that Luke and Beaumont, who studied joinery together at college, were ‘like brothers’.
She added: “I know Liam (Beaumont) is tortured every day.
“We know that is the biggest punishment of all.
“He hasn’t only just lost his best friend, he has lost a brother too: that’s how close they were.
“We don’t blame Liam for this tragedy.”
Beaumont received a 20-month prison sentence, but this was suspended for 18 months because of his ‘strong mitigation’.
As part of that sentence, Beaumont will have to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work and he was banned from driving for two-and-a-half years.
Wallis was given a two-year suspended prison sentence with 20 rehabilitation activity days and a thinking skills programme.
He received a three-year driving ban.
