A man “callously” left his dying girlfriend at the scene of a crash he caused before calling police and attempting to blame her.
Cameron Jones, 30, was driving his girlfriend Demi Mabbitt’s Audi along Swansea Road, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, when he crashed into a garden wall in April.
One witness who saw the Audi before the crash estimated it was travelling at speeds of up to 120mph in heavy rain on a road with a 20mph speed limit.
However, the court heard it was not possible to determine the exact speed at which the vehicle was being driven prior to the crash.
After the crash, Jones used Ms Mabbitt’s mobile phone to call police as she lay dying on the pavement 27 metres from the wreckage of the car, having been thrown from the vehicle.
Jones, from Merthyr Tydfil, told the operator: “My missus has just crashed her car.”
Ms Mabbitt, 25, from Aberfan, died as a result of her injuries.
Cameron Jones. Pic: South Wales Police
Jones, who had been released from prison just 30 days before the fatal crash, collected a bag from the vehicle before fleeing the scene.
He handed himself into police 24 days later.
Jones, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving without insurance, and causing death by driving while disqualified, was sentenced to 10 years in prison at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Wednesday.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins described his actions as “inhuman and self-centred”.
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“Your actions were deliberate and dangerous,” the judge said.
“Despite her lying seriously injured on the wet road nearby, you callously sought to blame her for what happened and absolve yourself of your responsibility for what you had done.”
Detective Sergeant Hobrough, serious collision investigation officer at South Wales Police, said Ms Mabbitt’s death had “shaken the whole community”.
“Demi Mabbitt lay dying on the side of the road when Jones callously fled from the scene of the crash without trying to help her,” they said.
The DS added that the defendant’s actions were “appalling and his attempts to escape justice ultimately failed”.
Speaking after the sentencing, Ms Mabbitt’s family said “no sentence will ever be enough to bring justice” for her death.
“Demi was only 25 years old, she had her whole life ahead of her,” they added.
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In a statement, they said they were “broken” and that they would love Ms Mabbitt “forever and always”.
Jones, who had 27 previous convictions for 55 offences, including two for dangerous driving in 2015 and 2018, was also disqualified from driving for 10 years.