Unfit to Drive, Free to Speed

0:00On April 8th, seven years ago, in July 2017, 20-year-old Sophie Brimble died in a high-speed crash in Brynmar, Blenau-Gwent. Her boyfriend, Jay Bayless, was behind the wheel, racing at over 80 miles per hour on 30 miles per hour roads. He lost control and slammed into a lamp post, killing her instantly. Bayless was too injured for trial back then, and even after police reopened the case in 2024, medical evidence kept him unfit for. A trial of facts at Newport Crown Court found him responsible for causing her death by dangerous driving, but the judge couldn't impose jail time or a driving ban. Sophie's family, especially her sister Amy Coombs, can't believe he's still on the road. They've stayed quiet for nearly nine years, but now they're speaking out after spotting him speeding in his souped-o'-car, slouched back like nothing. Happened. They say it makes no sense. If he's unfit for trial, how's he fit to drive? Meanwhile, Bayless' friend Neil Brooks, who started the race, got eight years in prison

1:04and a nine-year driving ban back in 2019. Now Gwent police have asked the driver and vehicle licensing agency to revoke Bayless's license, matching the family's plea to get him off the streets. The law on unfitnessed plea dates back to 1836 and feels outdated, ignoring modern medicine. The government is reforming it based on law commission reviews, but for Sophie's family, it's too late. They're left grieving while he drives free. Forever changed by what he took from them.