A man who got behind the wheel with a lethal cocktail of alcohol and drugs in his system before killing a girl he had met on the same night has had his sentence increased
Keilan Roberts (22), from Rhymney, Caerphilly County, has had his three years and nine months prison sentence overturned by the Court of Appeal and increased to five years and three months after the Solicitor General referred the original sentence as being unduly lenient.
Roberts also saw his driving disqualification increase from 10 years to 12 years and seven-and-a-half months.
The court heard that on the evening of 24 July 2022, Keilan Roberts met Chloe Hayman in a nightclub while on a night out in Pontypridd, Wales.
The pair had been given a lift home by a mutual friend before Keilan Roberts and Chloe Hayman continued their journey in Keilan Roberts’ car.
But as Keilan Roberts approached a cattle grid just outside Fochriw, near Bargoed, Caerphilly, he mounted the kerb and collided with a metal railing and stone wall. Chloe Hayman sustained grave injuries and died at the scene.
Keilan Robert’s blood sample taken at his arrest showed he had a lethal cocktail of alcohol and drugs in his system.
The Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC MP said:
“This was a tragic case where a young person died because of the offender’s reckless actions. I want to express my sincere sympathies to Chloe’s family for their loss.
“When you get behind the wheel of a car while under the influence you are not only putting yourself in danger but your passengers and everyone else on the road. The court’s decision to increase the sentence should serve as a strong warning that reckless behaviour will be punished to the full extent of the law.”
Keilan Roberts pleaded guilty to four counts of causing death by careless driving and was sentenced on 6 June 2023 at Newport Crown Court to three years and nine months imprisonment. He also was disqualified from driving for 10 years.
On 8 September 2023, the Court of Appeal increased Keilan Roberts’ sentence after it was referred under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.