Millionaire father-of-five who was speeding through 'biblical' rain in his £70K Maserati sportscar when he killed mother-of-two parked up in her Audi avoids jail

A millionaire businessman who was driving his Maserati over the speed limit in torrential rain when he killed a mother-of-two parked in a layby has been spared jail.

Ronald Dowling, 66, killed Sharon Berry, 54, while driving at 76mph on the A4042 in Pontypool, Gwent, in October 2023. 

The father-of-five, who also seriously injured his two passengers, had overtaken another vehicle in conditions described as 'terrible' when he lost control of his £70,000 sportscar. 

The Maserati Ghibli aquaplaned before ploughing into 'much-loved' Mrs Berry as she sat in her Audi waiting for the 'Biblical downpour' to cease. She died of her injuries three months after the crash. 

Dowling's wife Kim, a grandmother-of-ten, was left needing a wheelchair following the smash while the businessman's other passenger, Jane Beedell, was placed into an induced coma due to her injuries.  

But in court this week Dowling was spared jailed after admitting blame for Mrs Berry's death. 

He was instead handed a 27-month sentence suspended for two years and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work. Dowling was also banned from driving for four years and ordered to pay costs of £1,630.

Judge Celia Hughes said as she passed down the sentence: 'Sharon Berry was simply sitting in her car by the roadside that day. Her death was completely senseless in every aspect of the word. 

'No sentence I can pass can bring Mrs Berry back or lessen the pain experienced by her family and friends.'

It was heard that Dowling had bought his Maserati thanks to the success of his company, which laid specialist floors at shopping centres and stadiums across Britain.

He has become his wife's full-time carer in the aftermath of the crash after she underwent multiple operations for a fractured neck and punctured lung. 

The motorist had been taking his friend Ms Beedell to an appointment at the hospital at the time of the crash. She suffered a catalogue of injuries including broken bones in her neck and back and a bleed on the brain.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Beedell told how she has been left relying on care and had to leave her Civil Service job after 48 years due to her condition. 

The family of Mrs Berry, who was due to become a grandmother when she died, described her as 'full of love and laughter'. 

Luke, her son, said: 'There are countless times when I have picked up my phone wanting to call my mum, whether to share good news, ask her advice or simply hear her voice, then the reality hits that she is no longer there and the loss feels as painful as ever.'

Lorraine Ashton, Mrs Berry's sister, said of the mother-of-two's time in hospital: 'Every day was filled with hope, fear and uncertainty. 

'We desperately wanted her to recover but she never came home. Memories of those weeks will stay with me forever. 

'The pain of losing her is something I carry with me every day. Her death has affected every part of my life. There will always be an empty space, an empty place, where Sharon should be.'  

Dowling, from Caerphilly, is said to suffer with PTSD, anxiety and sleep problems due to the effects of the crash and is now the carer for his wife. 

He admitted causing death by careless driving and two charges of causing serious injury by careless driving at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.  

David Whittaker, defending, said: 'His remorse is genuine. He has not suffered in the way the families of Jane Beedell and Sharon Berry's have but every time he looks at his wife, every day, he is reminded of what he did.'

Ms Hughes, the judge, added: 'In the seconds before the impact you were speeding at over 70 miles per hour for three seconds before the impact with the parked car.

'You were doing 50mph at the impact after aquaplaning in standing water on the dual carriageway following several downpours of biblical proportions that day.

'Your careless driving, speeding in terrible road conditions has had devastating consequences for all the people who have attended court today and no doubt more widely too.

'The consequences of your behaviour will, and frankly should, live with you forever.'