Killer driver has prison sentence increased

A driver, jailed after causing a head-on crash that killed a motorcyclist, has had his jail sentence increased after an appeal.

Jack Garwell, 24, hit Alexander Anderson, from Wales, while overtaking several vehicles at high speed in "pitch black" on the A18 in Thorne, near Doncaster, on 16 January 2024.

Garwell, of Hilton Avenue in Scunthorpe, was sent to prison for three years and six months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Sheffield Crown Court in November 2025.

On Friday, the Court of Appeal in London extended his jail term to six years, after an appeal by the Solicitor General that the original sentence was too lenient.

The original hearing was told that Anderson was killed on his 20th birthday.

The court heard while driving along the A18, which had no street lights, Garwell overtook three vehicles by moving into the opposite carriageway at speeds "in excess of 75 mph" and into the path of the motorcyclist.

Passing sentence, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said: "It was an appalling decision to overtake at that point of time."

Speaking following the Court of Appeal's ruling, the Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP said: "Alexander Anderson had his whole life ahead of him but was tragically killed on his 20th birthday because of Jack Garwell's dangerous driving.

"I welcome the court's decision to increase Jack Garwell's sentence, and I would like to share my deepest sympathies to Alexander's family and friends for their loss."

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