Family speak out as verdict reached in crash case

THE family of Max Lewis has spoken of its disappointment in what they describe as the ‘despicable behaviour’ of the men accused of causing Max’s death, as all three defendants were  acquitted of causing death by dangerous driving.

Daniel Palmer, Connor Forrester and Julian Drew, all from the Melksham area, were  found not guilty of the main charge earlier this month.

Palmer, who was driving the car in which Max, 19, was a passenger, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving, and was told he is likely to go to prison.

Forrester was convicted of dangerous driving, and Drew will be sentenced for disqualified driving and driving with no insurance. All three men have been given bail and an interim disqualification from driving.

The verdict was reached in Swindon Crown Court in the week of 7th September, during which accounts were heard from nine prosecution witnesses, a forensic collision investigator, and transcripts of interviews with the defendants.

Daniel Palmer, 23, was the only one of the three defendants to give his evidence in court.

The family of Max Lewis, who was killed in the crash  on Forest Lane in November last year, has criticised the three men for not being forthcoming in court.

A statement sent to Melksham News read, “We went to court to hear the truth about how our precious son, Max Lewis, aged just 19, was killed in a car driven by Daniel Palmer, on November 15th last year.

“Daniel Palmer admitted causing Max’s death by careless driving. He at least had the decency to stand in the dock and give an account of what he thought happened, although only accepting partial responsibility.

“Neither Forrester nor Drew had the courage to stand in the dock and give any account of what happened.

“Connor Forrester and Julian Drew failed to come forward to give an account of what happened for five days after the accident, despite knowing that Max had died and despite numerous police requests for them to come forward.

“Gavin Mence, a passenger in Connor Forrester’s car, also failed to come forward to help the police.

“This meant that the coroner was unable to release Max back to his family for over a week. However they choose to describe their relationship to Max, they did not behave like friends or show any sense of decency or compassion.

“The combined behaviour of Daniel Palmer, Connor Forrester, Julian Drew and Gavin Mence has been truly despicable, deeply shameful and totally disrespectful.

“When I saw that it was Daniel Palmer who had come to pick Max up that morning my heart sank. We cannot stop our teenagers from going out, and I’m sure there are many parents out there who regularly spend sleepless nights worrying about what might happen.

“Well, for us that most terrible thing has happened. We didn’t come here to ‘win’; nobody wins in such a dreadful situation but we were hoping to hear more of the truth than we have from the defendants.

“We would like to thank Wiltshire Police for their support to the family, to Charlie Gabb, the barrister who pursued the truth relentlessly, and to the witnesses who came forward willingly and honestly; we are sad and sorry for the trauma they have been through and so thankful for the help they have given this case.

“Whether we have had justice for Max or not, doesn’t bring him back, does not stop the terrible pain we suffer every day from losing him and missing him. He was a lovely, clever, strong beautiful boy and we loved him with all our hearts.”

Wiltshire Police statement

After the trial, Wiltshire’s Police Sergeant Barrie Card said, “This collision should not have happened.  There was no need for this incident along a quiet country road on a Saturday afternoon back in November 2014.  Despite the acquittal of these three men for the primary indictment, the court found that it was certainly the actions of Palmer which led to the needless death of Max Lewis.

“I hope this tragic incident has the effect of getting young men to think about the manner of their driving.  Speed was a factor in this collision and I would hope that this may prompt others to consider their speed, particularly on country roads.  This incident shows that driving too fast can have tragic consequences.

“I would also hope this may deter others from driving if they don’t hold a driving licence or have insurance.”