A drug-fuelled driver has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison following a fatal crash in Droxford that resulted in the death of a woman. Steven Agar, 37, from Gosport, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the legal limit for cannabis at Portsmouth Crown Court.
On August 23, at around 5pm, Agar was driving his Audi A4 on the A32 Wickham Road. The court heard that he had already overtaken one vehicle before attempting a second overtake near a bend. Agar narrowly avoided a head-on collision but then lost control of his car, veering into the path of a Mazda.
Gena Close, 56, was a backseat passenger in the Mazda and suffered fatal injuries. She later died at Southampton General Hospital. The Mazda’s 77-year-old driver and 57-year-old front passenger were also injured and required hospital treatment. Agar escaped the crash without injury.
Witnesses described Agar’s driving as “way too fast” and labelled his behaviour “stupid and dangerous.” A drug test showed Agar had 2.3 micrograms of THC (cannabis) in his system, exceeding the 2 microgram legal limit.
The judge criticised Agar, stating that cannabis played a “critical role” in causing the crash. Agar was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and received a five-year driving ban.
PC Dave Mitchell of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit commented, “There was no need for Agar to overtake those vehicles that day, he was simply being impatient and that has resulted in the death of Gena Close, leaving her loved ones devastated.”
He added, “Agar not only drove carelessly, he did so after taking cannabis, ignoring all the warnings. Cannabis can severely impact someone’s ability to drive, such as distorting the driver’s perception of space and time.”
“In this case Agar attempted to overtake as he approached a bend, where there was insufficient space and time to do so safely. Had Agar decided not to take cannabis prior to driving, and had he not made a reckless overtake, then this collision and its tragic consequences would not have happened.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
