Driver sobs as he is sentenced for killing aunt in Rotherham crash while speeding at 73mph & drunk

The driver, 27-year-old Dean Rowbottom, appeared to be in distress for much of the hearing, which culminated with The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, sending him to begin a prison sentence of seven years, six months.

The collision, on Kimberworth Road, Rotherham, claimed the life of Rowbottom’s aunt, 47-year-old Samantha Beckett, after the airbag in Rowbottom’s VW Passat vehicle failed to inflate on the front passenger seat, where Ms Beckett was located.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how in the moments prior to the collision shortly after 11.30pm on November 29, 2023, Rowbottom had been “showing off” the vehicle to his aunt - with whom he was said to be extremely close - as it was parked up on Thornton Road in the town.

Rowbottom had been described as “very drunk” or “drunk” by those he had been in the company of that evening, and was also seen to be “swaying” at points, prosecutor Gordon Stables told a hearing held on June 16, 2025.

The pair proceeded to get into the car, with Rowbottom in the driver’s seat and Ms Beckett in the passenger seat, and after about a minute of being sat in the car proceeded to drive away.

Ian West, defending Rowbottom, said he cannot explain the decision, even now - some 16 months on from the tragic incident.

Detailing the heartbreaking set of events that followed, Judge Richardson told Rowbottom: “You accelerated away fast. The recording of that event is clear, everyone can hear the roar of the engine.”

“Kimberworth Road is a built-up, residential area where the houses there seemingly open directly onto the pavement. Cars were parked on both sides of the road.

“It is a fact that at the relevant area there is a right-hand, curved bend. A relatively gentle, but distinct bend.

“Although the speed limit is 30 miles per hour (mph), the police have calculated that it would be safe to go round the corner at approximately 57mph.

“Regretably, you were driving way in excess of the speed limit…you were driving in excess of 71mph.”

“You careered almost straight into the rear of four parked cars. They concertinaed, one into the other, thereafter it was a massive pile-up.”

“The front passenger seat where your aunt was sitting had its airbag deactivated. She suffered fatal injuries. She died at about 1am.”

Mr Stables said deactivating the front passenger seat airbag, perhaps for those who fit it with a child seat, is a function of the VW Passat. He added, however, that it had not been possible to determine whether Rowbottom, who was aged 25 at the time of the collision, bought the vehicle with the airbag deactivated, or whether he was the one to turn it off.

Ms Beckett was pronounced dead at the scene. She leaves behind a widow, who declined to provide a victim personal statement to the court.

Rowbottom was himself injured in the collision, and spent around a week in hospital, the court heard.

Bloodwork taken from Rowbottom five hours after the crash revealed him to have 95 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, with the legal limit being 80 micrograms. He was also found to have 1.8 micrograms of THC, a major constituent of cannabis, per litre of blood, with the legal limit being two micrograms.

“You were significantly impaired to drive as a consequence of you being intoxicated by both alcohol and cannabis - both individually and as a combination,” Judge Richardson told Rowbottom.

During his police interview, Rowbottom provided officers with a prepared statement in which said he believed Ms Beckett may have suffered a medical episode in the moments before impact, claiming she “grabbed his left arm causing the car to steer to the left and into the parked cars.”

Mr Stables said this claim was given “proper consideration” by investigators, but after examining tyre marks and CCTV footage, they subsequently concluded there was no evidence to support Rowbottom’s suggestion there had been a “sudden left steer out of the defendant’s control.”

Commenting on what he described as Rowbottom’s attempt to “blame” his aunt for the crash, Judge Richardson said it was one of the most “disagreeable” aspects of his conduct and branded it a “despicable thing to do.”

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Mr Stables said it had been possible to download data from Rowbottom’s vehicle, and following analysis, investigators were able to determine the speed he was travelling, his level of acceleration and braking, up to half a second before the crash.

The data showed that five seconds before the crash, Rowbottom, of South Street, Thurcroft, Rotherham, was travelling at 71mph, with 100 per cent acceleration.

By 0.5 seconds before the crash, Rowbottom was travelling at 73mph, with 93 per cent acceleration - a slight reduction from seconds earlier.

There was no application of the brakes in those five seconds, Mr Stables said.

Rowbottom was subsequently charged with, and pleaded guilty to, offences of causing death by dangerous driving and driving whilst over the prescribed limit.

Moving to his mitigation, Mr West told the court: “As is the case with nearly all of these offences, it is a tragedy for all concerned.”

He said Rowbottom was “very close” to Ms Beckett.

“It was a near mother-and-son relationship. He looked to her for encouragement and support,” Mr West said.

The court was told that Rowbottom endured a “difficult childhood,” and Mr West described how an attack carried out by a fellow soldier when he was in the army had added to his catalogue of mental health problems and medical conditions.

The attack led to Rowbottom leaving the army, and being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

Among Rowbottom’s other conditions, said Mr West, is an emotionally unstable personality disorder, hyperactivity and attention deficit hyperactivity, which he has not received treatment for, and was only diagnosed while he was in the army.

Mr West referred Judge Richardson to the “plethora” of references submitted on his behalf, and said Rowbottom has made efforts to change his life in recent months.

Rowbottom, now engaged to a Dutch woman, has a close relationship with her son, and hopes to move to Holland, where he has had offers of employment, upon his release from custody.

Jailing Rowbottom, Judge Richardson told him: “You killed your aunt. She was much-loved, including by you. The sentence I pass upon you does not reflect the value of the life of your aunt. All human life is of infinite value.”

“You are otherwise a perfectly decent man, with a history which is sad in some respects, but you perpetrated a serious crime and you must be punished for that.”

Judge Richardson also made Rowbottom the subject of a six-year driving ban, with an extension of five years to reflect the amount of time he is likely to spend behind bars.