Dean Yarrow and Faye Wardle died at the scene of the tragedy
A young Bridlington woman who caused the deaths of two people in a horrific collision by careless driving – while she was apparently “in a hurry” to get to a beauty salon – has finally pleaded guilty, despite fighting a trial back in 2023. Mercedes driver Laila Barnard-Wigley was originally due to face a retrial at Hull Crown Court after a jury was unable to reach verdicts.
Following a series of delays in listing the retrial after the jury was eventually discharged in December 2023, she changed her pleas to guilty after legal discussions were held ahead of the planned retrial. Barnard-Wigley, 27, of Thoresby Avenue, Bridlington, admitted causing the deaths of Dean Yarrow, 33, and his girlfriend, Faye Wardle, 32, by careless driving on May 7, 2021.
Sentence was adjourned until January and Barnard-Wigley was allowed unconditional bail until the next hearing. Defence barrister Richard Dawson, who represented her at the original trial, asked for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
All options, including prison, will be considered before Barnard-Wigley is sentenced. She was originally facing the more serious charges of causing the deaths of the two people by dangerous driving but the jury in 2023 was directed to return verdicts of not guilty in relation to those as well as on a charge of causing serious injury to a boy by dangerous driving.
Despite lengthy deliberations spanning two days and being given a direction that a majority verdict could be accepted, not a unanimous one, the jury at Hull Crown Court in December 2023 indicated that it was split and would not be able to reach verdicts. The retrial was originally due to take place on October 3 last year, with a time estimate of seven days, but it was delayed for more than a year after that.
The jury had been told that there was insufficient evidence to convict Barnard-Wigley of the two charges of causing the deaths of the couple by dangerous driving. The trial heard that Barnard-Wigley’s car had veered across the road, apparently because of aquaplaning, and crashed into a car that was heading in the opposite direction.
She was said to have been “in a hurry” to get to a Bridlington beauty salon to try to sell some makeup to the owner. She made five or six attempts to overtake another car a few minutes earlier before finally doing so.
She was said to have been running late to get to the salon for her promised time of 3.30pm. The accident happened just before 3.30pm as Barnard-Wigley drove a black Mercedes Benz car southbound from the Scarborough direction on the A165 at Scarborough Road, Bridlington, north of the junction of Grindale Road crossroads.
She was in collision with a red Peugeot 208 car being driven northbound by Mr Yarrow, whose girlfriend, Miss Wardle, was in the front passenger seat. Their car ended up in a field off the open road and they died at the scene from their injuries. Barnard-Wigley lost control of her car and it drifted over into the line of traffic coming the other way. There was a “head-on collision” and the prosecution claimed that Barnard-Wigley was driving at a speed that was not appropriate for the weather conditions.
Barnard-Wigley had, earlier that day, exchanged messages with a female friend who worked at a Bridlington beauty salon. Mention was made in the messages – sent at about 12pm – of Estée Lauder, make-up, foundations and perfumes. Barnard-Wigley was offering to sell beauty product items to another woman who, at the time, was the owner of the salon.
After the guilty pleas, Sergeant Rob Mazingham, of the Humberside Police serious collisions unit, said: “This was a truly tragic incident and it devastated families, who continue to grieve and attempt to navigate a life without their loved ones. This has been an extremely complex and lengthy investigation and I would like to thank the families of the deceased for their patience and strength throughout the entire process.
“Every fatal collision we attend is a tragedy that didn’t need to happen. Behind every incident is a person, whether that be someone’s parent, partner, child, sibling or best friend, and, in almost every case, it could have been prevented.
“When someone is killed or seriously injured in a collision, the devastation doesn’t end at the scene. The driver responsible has to live with the consequences for the rest of their life.
“I am pleased to see that Barnard-Wigley is being held accountable for her crimes and will be sentenced in January.”