A Barnsley man has been jailed after a postman was killed by dangerous driving

A 69-year-old man has been jailed for eight years for causing the death of a father by dangerous driving.

Barrie Barker, of Dodworth, Barnsley, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday.

He carried out a dangerous overtaking maneuver in his Mini Cooper S on Claycliffe Road, Barugh Green, Barnsley, in April 2022.

His car clipped a Vauxhall Astra belonging to 34-year-old Alex Firth, who died at the scene.

Firth’s wife and 10-year-old son from a previous relationship were also in the car when it began to spin out of control due to the impact of Mr Barker’s vehicle.

Both were left with serious injuries from which they are still recovering physically and mentally.

Ms Firth’s injuries included bleeding on the brain, broken ribs, a fractured shoulder, broken pelvis and legs and a lacerated kidney.

In a statement to the court on Friday, she said she later relied on her mother for help as she recovered.

Meanwhile, the mother of 10-year-old Zachary spoke in court about how the accident and the loss of his father had affected her son.

She described the collision as a “catastrophic bomb that tore my family apart”.

In a statement read to the court, she said her son was once a “happy boy who enjoyed socializing with his friends and was passionate about football” but was now “depressed and suffering from extreme anxiety – unable to sleep until the early hours”.

“You took away his chance to say goodbye to his father,” she added, directing her remarks to Barker.

Mr Firth, who worked as a postman in Leeds, died at the scene while an off-duty paramedic attended.

Barker was driving behind them when he made the decision to overtake their car on a 40mph stretch of road despite not having a clear view ahead.

He tried to blame the collision on Mr Firth, saying the Vauxhall Astra was initially going very slowly but then accelerated while the Mini was already in the opposite lane, leaving Barker unable to get back into the lane ahead.

But dash cam footage showed both cars were traveling at similar speeds and Barker had plenty of room to stay behind the Astra.

The jury rejected his claims and found him guilty following a five-day trial earlier this month.

Barker’s charges included one count of death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

During sentencing on Friday, he received eight years in prison for the dangerous driving charge, as well as three and two years concurrent for the serious injury charges.

He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years, three months and 14 days.