South Yorkshire widow describes moment she saw her husband be hit by speeding car - as his killers are jailed

That’s what a widow told the two men responsible for killing her husband in a horror crash as they were put behind bars.

Hayley Cumpsty fought back tears as she read her moving statement at Doncaster Crown Court, in the presence of Ben Archer and Adam Jeffries, who were convicted over their involvement in a car crash that caused the death of her husband, Adam Cumpsty, 30.

While ‘off his nut’ on drink and drugs, the court heard how Archer was driving Jeffries’ Ford Focus vehicle at speeds of over 60mph – more than double the limit – when he hit Mr Cumpsty as he crossed Broad Street, Parkgate, at around 10.20pm on April 19, 2019.

Mrs Cumpsty was present that night and has described her heartbreak at seeing the life of her husband, who she described as a ‘gentle giant,’ taken away in such an horrific manner.

She told the court: “I lost everything that night. My husband; my best friend; our home and myself. Watching anyone being killed in that way would be hard for anyone. To see someone I love I love be taken in that way is something I will never be able to recover from...he was my life.”

Mr Cumpsty made weighing scales for hospitals and veterinary surgeries by day, and worked by night with his wife as a delivery driver at the Chop Suey House takeaway, yards away from where he was hit. The pair were working when Mr Cumpsty was hit, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Summarising the evidence, Judge Roger Thomas QC described how in the moments leading up to the horror crash, Archer, 24, sped through the streets of Rotherham, through several residential areas often way in excess of the 30mph speed limit, chasing the driver of a BMW vehicle.

He said: “The driving, over a distance of four miles, was very bad and dangerous.”

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Prosecution barrister, Nick Adlington, said Archer had previously described himself as being ‘off my nut’ on drink and drugs at the time of the crash, while Jeffries admitted to being ‘wasted’ on booze.

The pair fled the scene, and Jeffries’ abandoned Ford Focus was discovered 1.4 miles away the following morning.

Archer, who only holds a provisional licence, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing, while Jeffries was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, in that he aided, abetted, counselled or procured his co-defendant to cause death by dangerous driving, following a trial at Doncaster Crown Court.

Defending Archer, Dermot Hughes described Archer, of Calladine Way, Swinton as being under the ‘control’ of Jeffries, and said witness statements suggested his client had been ‘bullied’ by his co-accused.

He read a letter from his Archer, in which he said he wished to express his ‘genuine remorse’ to Mr Cumpsty’s family.

The court heard how Jeffries’ cousin had given evidence during the trial and suggested there was someone in the BMW car chased by the pair that Jeffries took ‘exception to’ and believed owed him money.

Kevin Jones, defending Jeffries, 32, of Pingles Crescent, Rotherham, said they had to concede that the jury had found him guilty of ‘encouraging’ causing death by dangerous driving, but noted Jeffries had told Archer to ‘slow down’.

Judge Thomas sentenced both Archer and Jeffries to eight years, six months in prison, and banned them from driving for 15 years. He also activated six months of Archer’s previous suspended sentence, bringing his total term to nine years.

After jailing Archer and Jeffries, Judge Thomas turned his attention to Mr Cumpsty’s family, and said: “There’s no sentence I can pass that can begin to repair the loss of Adam, and I’m conscious of that. I just have to work within the framework that the law has. I hope that having this concluded helps you to progress a lot.”