Two men jailed after killing woman while racing cars in the Forest of Dean

Two men who killed a mum-of-two after racing their cars through the Forest of Dean have been jailed for a total of more than 15 years.

Tom Hill, aged 32, had been trying to keep up with 26-year-old Lyndon Parsons when he lost control of his car, causing it to smash into a Mini being driven in the opposite direction by Terri-Ann Marshall.

The collision took place on the B4228 near Sling shortly after 5pm on Friday 28 January 2022.

Gloucester Crown Court heard that Hill had travelled to see Parsons in his vape shop in Coleford, before the pair agreed to travel to Parson’s home in St Briavels to see a car that he was selling.

Both were driving performance-enhanced cars – Parsons’ was a Volkswagen Golf GTI while Hill’s was a Ford Fiesta ST– and they began to race one another as they left the town.

Specialist collision investigators were able to show that they had been driving up to 100mph at points on their journey, along roads with a maximum speed of 50mph.

Shortly after driving through Sling, the two cars reached the brow of a hill followed by a bend in the road.

Parsons, who was in front, knew the road and was able to negotiate it, but Hill was travelling at an estimated 90 mph, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and send it on to the other side of the carriageway.

He collided with a Mini being driven by 36-year-old Terri-Ann Marshall, who died on impact. Hill’s impact speed was found to be 73 mph.

The court heard that Parsons heard the bang and saw Hill’s car spinning out of control. He assumed that Hill had collided with a bus that had driven in the opposite direction, and returned to the scene to see what had happened.

Parsons called his girlfriend, Lucy Alexander, and told her to meet him outside her flat a few miles away.

He formulated a plan and, driving to her home, they both got into her Seat Ibiza and returned once again to the scene.

Working together, they told police that they had been driving to St Briavels together in the Seat Ibiza when they heard the collision behind them, and claimed not to know Hill.

Hill, who was taken to hospital after injuring his back in the collision, told investigators that he had been going at the speed limit when he had hit mud on the road, causing him to skid into the path of Miss Marshall’s Mini.

However, later that evening Parsons and Alexander visited Hill’s then girlfriend to tell her what had happened. She called police the following day and told them about their confession to her.

All three were subsequently arrested.

Hill, of Walford Avenue, Ross-on-Wye, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Parsons, of Smithville Close, St Briavels, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice, after lying to police about his involvement.

Alexander, aged 23 and of Carbonne Close, Monmouth, was charged with perverting the course of justice.

Although they initially denied the charges, they eventually admitted their guilt.

In mitigation, the three defendants said that they had made errors in judgment and would have to live with the consequences of their actions.

Appearing at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday (22 March), Hill was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison while Parsons was handed a jail sentence of eight years. They must serve half before being eligible for release on licence.

Alexander was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for perverting the course of justice.

Hill was also disqualified from driving for eight-and-a-half years, while Parsons was disqualified for nine years.

Sentencing the two men, His Honour Judge Ian Laurie KC said: “What you indulged in was racing and showing off to each other. You were attempting to prove your driving ability.

“Both of you showed a complete and utter disregard for other road users.”

Speaking after the sentencing, the family of Terri-Ann Marshall issued a statement through police: “The family of Miss Terri-Ann Marshall would like to extend their sincere thanks to everyone involved in collating the overwhelming evidence to finally bring these people to justice, although it must be said no amount of sentencing could ever make up for the complete devastation that has been caused by such recklessness, selfishness and dishonesty.

“It has been an incredibly hard couple of years, however, we now feel we have some kind of closure in this case, and can move forward in our grieving.

“The family would like to summarise with this quote: Nothing happens by chance, by fate. You create your own fate by your actions. That’s karma.”

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “Driving at speeds on roads like this will inevitably lead to a serious collision. Hill and Parsons had shown a reckless disregard for anybody else in the road in their behaviour.

“Not only did they fail to show any remorse for their actions, which resulted in the tragic death of Miss Marshall, but they then persistently lied about what had happened, drawing Alexander into their web of lies.

“However, these lies soon unravelled and the persistence and dedication of our investigating officers showed the truth about what had really happened.

“Our thoughts are with Miss Marshall’s family and we hope that this will help to bring a sense of closure for them.”