Family faced with 'unimaginable grief' after Wakefield man jailed for causing death of ‘beloved’ brother in crash

Connor Morrison, 28, was sentenced to 26 months in prison at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday (April 20) after pleading guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving in relation to his older brother Bradley Morrison.

The parents of the two brothers had requested the judge not to give Morrison a custodial sentence in a set of “heart breaking” testimonials but the judge said that his hands were tied in the case.

Morrison, of Eastfield Grove in Normanton, was driving his brother Bradley, 27, and two other friends back from Barnsley on May 23, 2021, via a number of country roads when he began reaching speeds that he later told police were in excess of 80mph while in 40mph zones.

For the prosecution, Carmel Pierson told the court that Morrison – then 26 – was overtaking other vehicles before he lost control at a “difficult” junction with a “sharp turn” on Common Lane in Walton. The car left the road, collided with a rock and rolled over three times before coming to a stop on its roof.

When police arrived at the scene Morrison “immediately accepted responsibility”. He was arrested and it was later found that he was over twice the legal limit for cannabis.

Representing Morrison, Richard Canning urged the judge to take into account the delay it had taken for the case to come before the court as it had affected Morrison and his family “badly”. He also pointed to Morrison’s early guilty plea and remorse.

Sentencing Morrison, His Honour Judge Christopher Batty said that he had read and considered “what I found to be the most heart breaking testimonials about you and your beloved brother Bradley”.

He said: “The way that your family have written about the love you had for your brother; for the time you devoted to helping him through his troubles; standing by him and supporting him getting his life back on track speaks volumes for the man you are as well as the love you had for him.

"No one will ever begin to imagine the guilt you feel for what happened and I accept that this is something you will never be able to come to terms with or forgive yourself for.

"In cases such as this the courts are nearly always faced with two families – those whose loved ones have cruelly lost their lives and the person whose fault it is. Here all of the loss is vested in your family. I can’t imagine the grief.”

Judge Batty said that both parents spoke at “great length about their love for you and your brother” and urged him to make an “exceptional” case of Morrison and not send him to prison. He said: “I’m sorry to say that while I’ve nothing but sympathy for the unimaginable grief your parents must feel, my public duty will not allow me to act on that request.

"This was all highly dangerous and sadly can’t be overlooked.”

Morrison was sentenced to 26 months in prison, of which he will serve half before serving the remainder on license. He was also banned from driving for three years.