A woman who killed a couple and orphaned a two-year-old child in a horrific crash was ‘in a hurry’ to get to a beauty salon.
Laila Barnard-Wigley, 27, was driving on a busy A-road in Bridlington when she veered across the road and crashed into a car that was heading in the opposite direction.
Inside the other car was Dean Yarrow, 33, and his girlfriend, Faye Wardle, 32, and a two-year-old boy.
Their car ended up in a field off the open road, and the couple died at the scene. The child was taken to hospital with serious injuries but miraculously survived.
Barnard-Wigley was said to have been ‘in a hurry’ to get to a 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.
It was also heard that she was running late to get to the appointment at the salon for her promised time of 3.30pm.
The accident happened just before the scheduled time as Barnard-Wigley drove a black Mercedes Benz car southbound from the Scarborough direction on the A165, north of the junction of Grindale Road crossroads in Bridlington.
Sergeant Rob Mazingham of Humberside Police said: ‘This was a truly tragic incident that left a little boy orphaned and devastated families who continue to grieve and attempt to navigate a life without their loved ones.’
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.
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.
Despite fighting a trial back in 2023, Barnard-Wigley, of Thoresby Avenue, Bridlington, finally pleaded guilty to two counts of death by careless driving on May 7, 2021.
She was originally due to face a retrial at Hull Crown Court after a jury was unable to reach a verdict, but she changed her plea to guilty on Tuesday, November 25, after legal discussions were held ahead of the planned retrial.
Sentencing 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.
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, Sgt Mazingham added: ‘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.’
