HGV Driver Jailed for Six Years After Deadly Southampton Crash
A lorry driver with just weeks on his HGV licence has been locked up for six years after killing two friends in a horrific motorway smash. Keith Mees, 49, from Derbyshire, admitted watching YouTube videos and scrolling Facebook while behind the wheel when his lorry slammed into two men last year.
Gruesome Crash on Southampton’s M271
The tragedy unfolded exactly one year ago on the busy M271 in Redbridge, Southampton. The victims, 35-year-old Marian Olteanu and 42-year-old father of two Ion Calin, were workmates in the building trade heading home. Their vehicle was crushed between Mees’ lorry and another as traffic slowed on the motorway.
Heartbroken Families Watch as Sentence is Handed Down
In court, Mees appeared glazed and unrepentant as the prosecutor Simon Jones detailed the devastating crash. The judge, His Honour Jude Rowland, condemned the collision as “grossly avoidable” before sentencing Mees to six years behind bars. The families of the victims sat in tears in the public gallery.
Chilling Facebook Post Revealed
Disturbingly, the court heard that the victims’ families had uncovered a Facebook post from Mees taken in hospital. It showed him giving a thumbs up with a cheeky status joking about Viagra, starkly contrasting the lives shattered by the crash.
Mees’ dangerous driving has left two families devastated and a motorway scarred by tragedy. The sentence sends a stark warning: distracted driving kills.
