Driver who killed mother and son in head-on collision jailed for 13 years

A driver who ran from the scene after killing a mother and fatally injuring her son in a head-on crash has been jailed.

Joshua Hill was driving a BMW X3 on the A632 Chesterfield Road at Span Carr near Kelstedge on 9 December 2023 when he attempted to overtake a car in the driving rain.

The 27-year-old, who had only bought the car days before, collided head-on with a Hyundai i20 travelling in the opposite direction.

Angela Boyack, the front seat passenger of the Hyundai, was killed instantly. Her son Stephen Boyack, who was driving the car, suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital where he died a short time later.

Hill ran from the scene of the collision, stopping a passing motorist and asking for a lift into Chesterfield, before getting the bus to Sheffield. He then hid at various properties in the city for two days before being arrested on 11 December.

Angela’s husband and elder son were travelling in a vehicle behind Stephen’s and witnessed the devastating collision.

In a victim impact statement William Boyack, Angela’s husband and Stephen’s father, said: “I am still constantly having the most horrific and soul sickening flashbacks to the collision which continue to be crippling for me.

“Losing my wife Angela and my son Stephen has ruined my life in every sense of the word and meaning.

“If losing Angela was not enough, I lost my youngest beautiful gentle giant of a son. This has utterly and totally destroyed me. He was only 22 years old and had his whole life to live.

“There are not words in the English language to describe the disgust and contempt that I have for Hill.

“The fact he stood there watching the carnage that he had perpetrated and didn’t help.

“Hill’s actions on that day have robbed me of my wife and my son and has destroyed my life. I will never forgive him or forget his actions and the damage he has done.

“To put myself, my son, my family and friends through so much heartache and uncertainty whilst knowing his guilt and culpability in the deaths of two people, the fact that he knew he was guilty and refused to acknowledge his actions which caused the death of two innocent souls then waiting for almost five months to admit to what the evidence clearly shows. The heartache, stress, pain and desolation are unbearable.

“Why, why did you do this? That is what I want to know.”

Hill, of Wheata Road in Sheffield, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while unlicensed/uninsured, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident.

He initially denied the charges but entered a guilty plea at Derby Crown Court on 10 May. He appeared at the same court on 7 June when he was jailed for 13 years – with the judge ordering that he must serve two thirds of that sentence.

Detective Constable Ian Niven, who led the investigation, said: “This was an horrific collision which caused the deaths of two people who were in the area visiting family. The fact that it occurred in front of Angela’s husband and son is even more devastating.

“For Hill to then run from the scene while other members of the public rushed to help shows his blatant disregard for anyone else.

“Sadly for Angela and Stephen’s family, the consequences of Hill’s actions on that day will live with them forever as they have to face the future without their loved ones.

“While nothing can ever bring Angela and Stephen back, I hope that knowing Hill is now behind bars for some considerable time allows their family some small comfort.”