"You're the author of this catastrophe," Sheffield judge tells jailed Doncaster driver who killed brother
“This is truly dreadful for a young man aged 20 to be sent to detention,” South Yorkshire’s most senior judge said as he jailed an unlicensed driver for killing his half-brother in a high-speed crash when he was intoxicated on a mixture of alcohol, cocaine and MDMA.
- Unlicensed teen driver was high on a mixture of MDMA, cocaine and Alcohol when he caused fatal crash that killed brother
- Driver was travelling at speeds of 90mph in a 30mph limit, and narrowly avoided head-on collision in moments prior to crash
- Judge accepts that during second dangerous Driving stint around a month later the defendant was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression and severe bereavement reaction
- He tells driver, now aged 20, he will have to live with what he has done for the rest of his life
As he sent Joshua Rafferty to begin a nine year sentence of imprisonment for causing the death of his brother Aiden Allen by dangerous driving, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, acknowledged that Rafferty will have to “live” with what he has done “for the rest of your life.”
Judge Richardson continued: “I accept you are filled with guilt, but you are the author of this catastrophe. It is also a family catastrophe.
“You killed your brother as a result of your deplorable driving.”
Rafferty and Mr Allen, aged 31, had spent the afternoon drinking in pubs together in the hours preceding the horror crash.
Subsequent blood toxicology reports carried out on Rafferty revealed him to have an a mixture of Class A drugs and alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, deemed to be six times above the limit for a cocaine breakdown and three times the limit for MDMA, Sheffield Crown Court heard during a sentencing hearing which concluded on April 7, 2025.
In the moments preceding the fatal crash on Goodison Boulevard, Cantley, Doncaster, which is subject to a 30 miles per hour (mph) limit, Rafferty had been driving at speeds of 90mph, and had narrowly avoided a head-on collision while travelling on the wrong side of the road.
Opening the Crown’s case against Rafferty on Friday (April 4, 2025) prosecutor, Richard Sheldon, described how after losing control of the stolen Ford Mondeo vehicle he was driving, which was fitted with false plates, Rafferty ploughed it into a lamppost, and then a line of trees, shortly after 11pm on July 28, 2024.
“You killed your brother almost instantly. The car was uninsured and you only held a provisional driving licence,” Judge Richardson told Rafferty, who was 19-years-old at the time of the collision but has since turned 20.
Mr Allen leaves behind two young sons.
Judge Richardson continued: “You displayed a complete disregard for the law, and for the safety of others, from start to finish.”
In the wake of the fatal crash, Rafferty was assisted by the emergency services, and admitted ingesting both alcohol and cocaine, and “was found by the emergency services with six wraps of cocaine and 21 wraps of heroin tucked into his sock,” said Mr Sheldon.
Rafferty, who is a dad-of-one, was released under investigation, and was “in effect on police bail,” said Judge Richardson.
Around a month later, on August 21, 2024, Rafferty carried out another dangerous driving spree just a matter of hours before his police interview concerning the fatal crash, during which he answered “no comment” to all questions.
This time driving an Audi vehicle, Rafferty sped through Cantley once again, travelling at around 80mph, as police pursued him with sirens blaring and lights flashing.
The chase began as Rafferty drove towards Bawtry Road, said Mr Sheldon, adding that Rafferty proceeded to drive the wrong way down a dual carriageway in a bid to escape officers, reaching a maximum speed of 87mph as he did so.
Officers deemed it too dangerous to continue pursuing Rafferty, who brought the pursuit to an end when he crashed the vehicle and was arrested at the scene.
“He said: ‘That’s so bad, like I give a f***, I’m going to prison for killing my brother you daft c***s’,” Mr Sheldon told the court, adding that Rafferty subsequently refused to provide a sample to test his blood alcohol and drug levels.
Rafferty is believed to have been intoxicated, however, on a combination of alcohol, cannabis and cocaine on this occasion, Judge Richardson told the court.
Rafferty, previously of Ansten Crescent, Cantley, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to a string of charges including causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving and possessing the Class A drugs cocaine and heroin at an earlier hearing.
Judge Richardson said he had taken submissions made by Ed Moss, defending, on Rafferty’s behalf, and agreed that during the August incident, he was suffering from “post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression and severe bereavement reaction” as well as “suicidal ideation” - an issue which plagues him both then and now.
Judge Richardson said he would therefore pass a concurrent sentence - meaning it will be served alongside instead of in addition to - for the August 2024 dangerous driving offence.
He added, however: “But there was no mental illness when you were driving in July 2024. All of this has arisen after that. It is in response to your brother’s death - which you caused.”
Judge Richardson said he regards Rafferty to be a dangerous offender, but said he did not feel it was necessary to pass an extended sentence upon him as a consequence.
He explained that the public will be protected from the risk posed by Rafferty, both through his “long sentence” of imprisonment, alongside an extensive driving ban.
Judge Richardson reduced his sentence of imprisonment from nine years, four months - which was reached after the reduction for his guilty plea was taken into consideration - to one of nine years, in what he described as an act of “mercy”.
He also banned Rafferty from driving for 10 years to begin from the date he is released from custody, bringing the total length of his disqualification to one of 15 years, three months, after which time he will need to pass an extended disqualification should he wish to legally drive in the future.
Judge Richardson told Rafferty he will spend the first part of his sentence in a Young Offenders’ Institute, and will be transferred to an adult prison when he reaches the age of 21.
He also ordered for psychiatric reports prepared on Rafferty’s behalf to be made available to those within the custodial institutions he is sent to.