Lorry driver Daniel Barry Coburn engaging in sex acts behind wheel jailed for death of "devoted" gran

A lorry driver was over the drug- and drink-drive limits when he veered on to the wrong side of the road, killing an 81-year-old woman travelling in the opposite direction. Daniel Barry Coburn was behind the wheel of a white Ford Transit drop side lorry when it veered onto the wrong side of the A120 near Standon Hill, Hertfordshire, on August 5, 2023, when it collided with a red Kia Picanto being driven by Bethan Fraser-Andrews, who died at the scene.

Coburn, 49, from Chelmsford, Essex, was found to have been using his phone to engage in sexual acts and conversations while driving, as well being over the limit for alcohol, cocaine and MDMA. He initially pleaded not guilty but at a later case management hearing changed his plea to guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

On September 29, at St Albans Crown Court, he was jailed for nine years and seven months, and banned from driving for 13-years and four-months, with a mandatory extended re-test. Sentencing, Judge Sheridan told the court the incident was among the “worst cases of dangerous driving he had seen”.

“I sit here today looking at three heartbroken children who should never have to have suffered the loss of their mother," he told Coburn. “You should never have been behind the wheel of any vehicle, let alone a commercial vehicle while intoxicated through alcohol and drugs.”

Bethan's daughter, Elisabeth, said: “We are still coming to terms with the fact that she is gone. She was very active, and she had many varied interests, she played tennis the day before she died, she walked, went bird spotting, enjoyed painting and sang in local choirs. Her calendar when she died was full of things she was looking forward to including a tennis tournament and looking after our dogs.”

And her son, James, added: “Mum was devoted to her family, and we were devoted to her. She was killed on her way to do what she did best. To be a loving mother and grandmother, to spend time with those she loved and who now will never enjoy her uniquely funny insights, her laughter and her energetic zest for life that was undimmed even at 81 years of age.”

After the hearing, Detective Constable Dale Morris, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Hertfordshire Police, said: “Coburn’s selfish and dangerous actions have torn a mother and grandmother away from her family. On the day of the collision Bethan was on her way to meet her family for a belated celebration. Coburn’s driving was highly dangerous, and it was evident he had no thought or consideration for anyone around him."