Driving student who killed three 16-year-old friends in a high-speed accident must go to prison

A driving student who killed three of his friends by driving too fast and then collided with another vehicle has been sentenced to over four years in prison.

Jake Loy, then 17, was driving at such excessive speed that the Honda Civic broke into two pieces on impact and three other people were injured.

Finlay Johns, Tyler Johnston and Ian Cannon, all 16 years old, died at the scene, while Loy was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The court heard that before the accident, Mr Cannon had sent a Snapchat message saying he was “scared” because Loy was a “terrible driver and was flat out driving”.

At his hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.

Loy, who only had a provisional driving licence, was out for a joyride with his friends on March 15, 2022 and collided with another vehicle on the A711 near Cargenbridge at around 12:15 a.m.

He was estimated to be traveling at more than 60 miles per hour on the highway when he lost control and crashed into the path of a northbound Honda CR-V.

An accident investigator said he had “never seen such damage to a car,” and Loy initially told police he “did not know the driver” who was behind the wheel.

Defence counsel Donald Findlay KC said Loy could not remember the accident due to a head injury.

Mr Findlay said: “It was very moving when he said that if he could take her place, he would have preferred it to have been him.”

Psychologist Professor Gary MacPherson examined Loy and concluded he was “immature”, the court heard. Mr Findlay suggested he may have wanted to “curry favourably” with his peers and “impress” his friends.

At the time of the crash, the headmaster of Moffat Academy – which all boys attended – spoke of a “tragic day” for the school.

“It is with heavy hearts that our school community comes together to try to cope with this,” she said.

At a court hearing in May, he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and seriously injuring the three passengers in the other vehicle.

In passing sentence, Lord Harrower said: “Three young people have lost their lives. Three other people have been seriously injured.”

“You suffered serious injuries. The deceased were all friends and you have shown remorse.”

“The social workers' report highlights concerns raised in psychological assessments of children aged 12 to 17.”

The court concluded that “impulsivity” and “recklessness” may have played a role, but a social work report concluded that Loy was at “low risk” of reoffending.

Chief Traffic Inspector Lorraine Napier said: “I would like to express my gratitude to the families and friends of the three young men who lost their lives in this accident and thank everyone who worked so diligently to bring this case to a conclusion.”

“No conviction or sentence will ever reflect the impact the crash has had on the families and friends of Ian, Tyler and Finlay, but I hope it brings some closure.”