He Left His Best Friend Dying in the Wreckage and Vanished

A high-speed crash in Cwmbran left a community reeling after a drug-impaired driver abandoned his best friend in the wreckage as his life slipped away. Newport Crown Court heard that Joshua Pearce, described by Judge Eugene Egan as “cowardly,” had been caught drug-driving just 16 days prior to the fatal collision on April 23, 2023, when he lost control of his Volkswagen Passat following a tyre blowout and crashed into iron railings on Cocker Avenue, resulting in the death of 26-year-old Samuel Bevan, his only passenger and best friend.
Pearce had named Bevan godfather to one of his children, but in the aftermath of the crash, Judge Egan told him, “While your friend lay in the car, heavily injured and in desperate need of your help, his life ebbing away second by second, in that moment you abandoned him and scuttled off into the night, making good your escape. That was a cowardly and dishonourable thing to do to your friend.” Prosecutor Ieuan Bennett revealed that Pearce was driving with more than double the legal limit of cannabis in his system, and while the exact speed was undetermined, evidence showed it was well above the 30mph limit, with images capturing the car on its side and severely damaged.
Investigators suggested the tyre blowout could have been caused by the excessive speed, and CCTV footage presented in court showed the vehicle moving rapidly just before the crash. After the impact at 10:50pm, neighbours rushed to the scene, including Mr Purcell, who found Pearce standing near the overturned car and asked, “You okay?” to which Pearce replied, “Yeah, fine.” When asked if anyone else was in the car, Pearce said, “One other. His name is Sam,” before fleeing the scene moments later, leaving Bevan trapped and fatally injured.
Despite his injuries, Bevan was semi-conscious and able to speak as neighbours waited with him for emergency services, but his condition quickly deteriorated and he became unresponsive. Pearce was later found at Grange Hospital seeking treatment for his own injuries, claiming he had been dropped off by a friend, though the prosecution disputed this account. A blood sample taken at 2:30am revealed 4.4mcg of cannabis per litre, more than twice the legal limit for drivers in the UK.
During police interviews, Pearce admitted it was his car and that he had been driving with Bevan, recalling a warning light on the dashboard and braking, but claimed to remember nothing between the crash and waking up in hospital—a statement the prosecution challenged based on witness testimony. Bevan died on May 1 after a week in critical care with severe brain injuries, and his father described the aftermath as “the most difficult, frightening and emotional we have ever experienced,” reflecting on the future milestones his son would never reach and urging others to think more carefully about their driving decisions.
Pearce, of White House Road in Croesyceiliog, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs, with a record of seven previous offences, including a conviction for drug-driving just over two weeks before the fatal crash. Prosecutor Bennett noted, “He certainly would have been on notice not to engage in that sort of behaviour again.” Defence barrister Nigel Fryer said Pearce was “hugely remorseful” and “profoundly affected by these events,” adding, “Sam Bevan was his best friend… He is going to have to carry that guilt every day for the rest of his life.” Fryer also mentioned Pearce’s role as a father of three and noted that neither Pearce nor Bevan had been wearing seatbelts, and that a tyre defect may have contributed to the crash, though Pearce was unaware of any issue.
The court heard that Bevan’s parents had supported Pearce in his grief, and that Pearce had once shown promise as a sportsman before a work injury ended his athletic pursuits. Judge Egan condemned Pear