SWMRquad – by Filipa Gaspar
A ”cowardly and shameful” man who drove off and left his girlfriend to die when she fell from the back off his quad bike has been jailed.
Alex Evans, 31, had been riding a single seat quad with Grace Vater, 22, sat on the back in December 2023.
Gracie fell off the rear of the quad bike and into the road and sustained a severe head injury.
Witnesses said she was breathing but unresponsive and stopped to help at the scene before air ambulance and other emergency services arrived.
But while others helped Evans, who had been in a relationship with Gracie for five years, left the scene.
This was described by His Honour Judge Rupert Lowe as a “cowardly and shameful act”.
Gracie was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol and died there two days later at 7pm on Christmas Day.
Evans pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified and uninsured.
The court was told that he left due to panic and distress, and because he knew he should not have been driving on a public road as he had been disqualified from driving two months prior.
Evans, of Monks Drive, Corsham in Wiltshire, was arrested later in the day after he returned to his address and was taken into custody for questioning.
The quad bike, which was designed to be ridden by one person, was found hidden in an empty lean-to building tucked away behind a pallet door.
It was seized by police for forensic examinations to take place.
Following an investigation by Gloucestershire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Team, Evans was charged with the offences.
During a hearing at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday Evans was jailed for two years for each count, to run concurrently, and disqualified from driving for six years.
A statement from Gracie’s mum, Angela Vater, was read to the court in which she described Gracie.
It read: “She was always so kind and friendly to everyone she met. She was so caring, thoughtful, generous and bubbly.
”She was so happy all of the time and would do absolutely anything for anyone.
“Gracie was my best friend. Her loss is profound and words cannot begin to convey just how much of a hole her death has left in my life.
”Life will never be the same. I can’t believe I have to live the rest of my life like this, without her.
“Alex and Gracie were in a relationship for a long time and moved in together. I accepted Alex as part of the family, we would spend time with them as a family and it was nice to see Grace happy with Alex and that he was welcomed into the family.
”How Alex behaved after the collision makes me so incredibly angry and upset. To treat her with such disregard and to not stay with her.”
Gloucester Crown Court was told that due to working in the farming industry, Evans would often ride the quad bike with Gracie sat on the rear rack.
This was described as a shared habit and Gracie had never fallen off before.
The quad bike was not designed to have passengers and it was an example of a vehicle being dangerously loaded, enhanced by the terrain.
Judge Lowe said this arrangement was neither safe nor lawful, and neither of them should have permitted it to happen, but ultimately Evans was the driver and it was his responsibility to not allow someone on the rear.
In mitigation, Evans’ defence barrister Matthew Harbinson said: “The fact is that had he known that there was such an inherent risk involved in allowing his partner, whom he loved, to ride on the back of his quad bike, he would never have allowed that practice to take place.
“For him it has been a tragedy, a matter of great personal loss and something that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.”
The court was told that two months prior to the collision Evans had been disqualified from driving after being convicted of driving while above the limit of controlled drugs, namely cannabis, in April 2023.
He was employed as a general farm worker, and the court was told he did not tell his employer that he could not drive as his job and accommodation would be at risk.
Evans admitted the charges during a hearing at Gloucester Crown Court on 6 January.
He must serve at least half of his sentence and he will be required to pass an extended test before he can drive again.
