Court of Appeal Increases Sentence for Driver in Fatal Crash

The Court of Appeal has extended the prison sentence of a driver who was speeding, had consumed alcohol, and used nitrous oxide prior to a fatal collision that resulted in his partner’s death. Connor Malpass, 25, of Doncaster, received a 10-year and six-month jail term in August after pleading guilty to causing the death of Natasha Woroch and inflicting serious injuries upon two additional passengers. Evidence presented at Grimsby Crown Court indicated that Malpass was operating his vehicle at speeds exceeding 80mph (129km/h) within a 30mph (48km/h) speed limit area before the incident occurred on the A161 in Belton, North Lincolnshire, in July 2023. Following a referral from the solicitor general, who contended that the initial sentence was “unduly lenient”, a panel of three judges on Wednesday raised Malpass’s sentence to 13 years and six months. The London Court of Appeal was informed that prior to the collision, which also left passenger Thomas Colcombe and his partner Imogen Rowlands with serious injuries, Malpass had disabled a vehicle safety mechanism designed to automatically engage the brakes upon detection of wheel slip. Peter Ratliff, representing the solicitor general, stated in written submissions that Malpass operated his vehicle at “grossly excessive speeds and in an erratic manner”. Mr. Ratliff’s writings indicated that subsequent to the crash, Malpass was observed “spending the remaining time before police arrived searching Natasha Woroch and the immediate scene”. He further noted: “As he was to tell the police later, he was looking for a watch that he had purchased for her.” The timepiece, identified as a rose-gold-coloured Rolex, was subsequently discovered on the grass in proximity to the collision site. Lord Justice William Davis, presiding in the Court of Appeal alongside Mr Justice Murray and Judge Shaun Smith KC, commented that following the crash, Malpass had “acted in a heartless and callous manner – apparently more interested in recovering a valuable watch” instead of his partner’s well-being. The judge also stated that Malpass had driven a car again merely days before his sentencing, notwithstanding being under an interim disqualification. Lewis Power KC, Malpass’s legal representative, acknowledged that the case was “most dreadful and distressing”, yet maintained that the sentence was “not unduly lenient”. He informed the court that reports indicated Malpass was “immature” during his incarceration, but “now having been incarcerated he accepts being remorseful and express prison is a salutary lesson for decisions he has made”. When extending Malpass’s sentence, Lord Justice Davis detailed the “harrowing effect” the fatal collision had on Ms. Woroch’s mother. He stated that she experienced “daily reminders of how her daughter died because, given where she lives, she has to drive past the scene of the collision on a regular basis”. The judge further remarked: “There was a well-established tendency in the weeks leading up to the collision for him to drive dangerously.” “On two occasions before the incident, he drove in a manner similar to that fatal collision.”