Driver Jailed After Fatal Crash Kills Fiance

A driver has been imprisoned after a high-speed incident where he lost control of his vehicle, colliding with another car and causing the death of its occupant. Salisbury Crown Court was informed that Louis Tavener, 23, from Fell Road, Westbury, was operating his BMW at 78 mph on the A3098 outside Chalcot Park Farm when it crashed into Warwick Bayman’s car. Mr. Bayman, 63, from Frome, who was scheduled to marry two months later, died at the scene. Tavener received a sentence of eight and a half years after admitting guilt to charges comprising two counts of causing serious injury and one count of causing death by dangerous driving. Three individuals traveling in Tavener’s BMW sustained injuries; among them, one man was transported by air ambulance to a hospital due to life-threatening injuries. Speaking on behalf of her family, Mr. Bayman’s sister Clare said: “My brother was a commercial pilot, an HGV Class 1 driver and a superbly skilled rally driver who had nothing to prove on the road. “Yet, he was killed by a driver who was going too fast for his level of driving experience.” She further commented: “Warwick’s family, fiance and friends will always hold him in their memories as being one of the really good guys and he will be greatly missed.” Sgt Rich Hatch, from Wiltshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Team, stated: “Tavener’s actions directly changed the lives of numerous people forever. “His sentence today should serve as a warning to others who make conscious decisions to drive too fast in wet conditions.”