According to Daily Mail - News, Jessica Taylor-Goddard described how Christine Baxter, 63, of Tregare, near Usk, Monmouthshire, collided with motorcyclist Darren Gough on April 29, 2025. The report stated that Baxter failed to check for other traffic before turning at a junction in Raglan, Monmouthshire, and smashed into the oncoming Darren Gough. Gough was taken to hospital in critical condition after being extracted from underneath Baxter's vehicle and died two months later. Baxter pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving at a court hearing last month.
Darren Gough was a Falklands SAS veteran and decorated war hero, with his family expressing profound grief over his loss. According to Daily Mail - News, Darren Gough's daughter described him as a military man who dedicated much of his life to serving his country, adding that losing him had destroyed her. Baxter employs three people at her sculpting business and has displayed at several independent galleries in cities including Bristol, Cardiff, and Salisbury. Her defense noted she had never been in a collision for the 39 years she had held her driving license.
She turned right and collided with the motorcycle which Mr Gough was driving in the opposite direction. The victim was underneath the car and that had to be moved for him to be given medical attention.
District Judge Sophie Toms handed Baxter an eight-month suspended sentence and a 12-week curfew from 8pm to 6am. According to Daily Mail - News, Sophie Toms described the incident as involving a failure to check, failure to check again, and a failure to 'Think Bike'. According to Daily Mail - News, Christine Baxter described her heart going out to Gough's family and expressed being terribly sorry for their loss.
My father was a military man who dedicated much of his life to serving his country. To us, he was our hero. He was someone we looked up to, relied on and loved deeply. He was funny, impulsive and adventurous. Losing my father has destroyed me.
My heart goes out to Mr Gough's family and wife. I think about them and the collision every day. I am terribly sorry for their loss.
There was a failure to check, failure to check again and, of course, a failure to 'Think Bike'.