'Arrogant' speeding driver sentenced after 'caring' woman killed in Sheffield horror crash
The killer driver sobbed from the dock as he was sentenced over the horror crash
An “arrogant” speeding driver almost certainly would have avoided causing a crash that killed a beloved young woman had he been wearing glasses and travelling at the speed limit.
That was the conclusion of The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, as he jailed Dean Tolan a few moments ago for causing the death of 29-year-old Ellie Smart by dangerous driving.
Dressed in a blue suit and white short, Tolan sobbed from the dock shortly before was sent to begin a nine-year prison sentence.
“You killed that young woman. Extinguished her life, the future she had ahead of her. You’ve wrecked the life of her family, you’ve wrecked your own life and I’ve no doubt at all, your family will be badly affected too.
“And for what? All because you were rushing to fill the car to go to work. And you were driving at twice the speed limit. That warrants nine years.”
In addition to speeding at 58 miles per hour when he hit Ms Smart as she attempted to cross Donetsk Way near Crystal Peaks, Tolan also was not wearing his glasses in spite of licence conditions stipulating he must wear corrective lenses for driving.
He was also using his phone moments beforehand, the court heard.
In a gut-wrenching statement to the court, Ms Smart’s parents said they had been left heartbroken after they “watched her slip away” a few hours after the crash in January 2024.
Ms Smart, a first-class communications graduate who worked in South Yorkshire Police’s press office, had visited them on the morning of the crash, during which the close-knit family discussed their dinner plans for that evening.
Her parents, who lived a short distance away from her, revealed they felt they had no choice but to leave Sheffield, such is their despair at seeing anything or anyone who reminds them of her.
They described being devastated that she will never get married or have a family of her own, and in particular, she will not be there to watch her niece - who has been named after her - group.
“Ellie was kind, considerate and caring,” they said.
Prosecutor Laura Marshall said Tolan was not wearing glasses at the time of the collision, despite having a restriction on his driving licence which means it is only valid when he is wearing corrective glasses or contact lenses.
Ms Marshall revealed the restriction had been in place for around three years before the fatal collision on Thursday, January 25, 2024, and more recently had been recommended a new prescription for full-time use.
Tolan failed a number of roadside eye sight tests, and falsely claimed that he had only noticed some emerging issues with his eyesight in the days prior to the crash.
The hearing also heard how Tolan’s mobile phone was connected to his vehicle’s Bluetooth, but was recorded as having used it within seconds of the crash occurring.
Ms Marshall said Tolan was shown to have used it at 7.32am for a phone call to a colleague, and then again at 7.35am to phone the emergency services after causing the fatal collision.
Due to the precise time of the collision not being known, Ms Marshall said it was therefore not possible to know whether Tolan was using his phone when he hit Ms Smart, but it was possible to infer he was “distracted.”
Judge Richardson said he believed it showed an “errant disregard and arrogance” for the rules.
He suggested that despite Tolan’s “fundamental disregard” for the rules of the road, and his decision to speed, he still sought to “blame everyone else” - including Ms Smart - for the crash.
“You displayed spectacular arrogance; you also displayed arrogance and a lack of basic humanity when you were interviewed by police, seeking to blame the deceased, the DVLA and your optician.”
“You caused the death of a delightful young woman aged 29 years who had her whole life ahead of her. You eradicated that.”
The hearing heard how Tolan even sought to blame Ms Smart in the wake of her death, claiming she rushed out in front of him and did not have a chance to brake.
Evidence from eye-witnesses was detailed in court.
A motorist, who had been stationary in a box junction next to Tolan shortly before the crash, observed him travelling at speed when the lights they were stopped at turned green.
She expected his speeding to have been fruitless due to a set of traffic lights located a short distance down the road, but observed him speed up to, and then quickly through, the lights.
“It was her thought that he must have been travelling really fast to get to the lights and through them without them holding his up,” Ms Marshall said.
CCTV footage taken from a tram which passed him in the run up to the crash showed he did not brake at a junction a short distance from the crash site, deduced when his brake lights were not illuminated, Ms Marshall said.
Tolan pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing.
Defending, Richard Adams, told the court that whilst at first blush Tolan’s actions may seem “flippant” and “arrogant,” he is someone who deeply regrets his actions and has dreaded having to face Ms Smart’s family in court.
Mr Adams said Tolan, who suffers from bipolar disorder, will spend the rest of his life knowing that he has killed a young woman, who was someone’s daughter.
Tolan will be reminded of his fatal actions every time he sees his own daughter, who is now aged 16, suggested Mr Adams.
Judge Richardson also banned Tolan, aged 36, formerly of Bowman Drive, Charnock, Sheffield, from driving for 10 years upon his release from custody.