Porsche driver Benjamin Swift guilty of Castle Howard crash

Benjamin James Swift, now 21, could only think about his beloved sports car and not about the family he had injured when he crashed into their Land Rover Defender as they drove to a picnic at Castle Howard, York Crown Court heard.

Several drivers told the jury how Swift had been “driving like an idiot”, narrowly missed a vehicle coming the other way with one overtaking manoeuvre and became airborne and lost control when he tried a second.

The front seat passenger in the Land Rover, Jacqueline Bell, said she believed she was about to die as the Porsche zigzagged towards them across the road immediately before crashing into her vehicle.

The Land Rover driver, architect Philip Thompson, who spent three months in pain with a broken chest bone as a result of the crash, estimated Swift was driving at 80mph along the 60mph Castle Howard approach road.

His back seat passenger had severe abdominal pains following the crash, the jury heard.

After an hour in retirement, the jury convicted Swift of seriously injuring Mr Thompson by dangerous driving close to Welburn crossroads on the Castle Howard approach road.

Approaching Welburn crossroads from the south, heading towards Castle Howard (Image: Google Street View)

Swift, of Holly Tree Lane, Haxby, had denied the charge and showed no reaction as the jury returned their unanimous verdict. He had been 19 at the time of the crash on July 7, 2024.

“You told the jury you consider yourself to be a polite young man: you may like to add ‘arrogant’,” Recorder Geraldine Kelly told him.

“I saw an arrogant young man in the witness box, not having a hint of remorse about the harm you caused to the victims.

“All you seemed to care about was your beloved Porsche and the damage you caused to it.”

Despite having appeared to be sorry at the scene of the crash, he had decided to have his trial and thereby forced those injured in the crash to relive their experiences in the witness box.

She said the evidence against him had been “overwhelming”.

The judge disqualified Swift from driving and warned him that he could not drive any vehicle from that moment. He will learn the full length of his ban when he is sentenced on August 7.

Barristers for the prosecution and defence agreed sentencing guidelines state he should receive a jail term of between two and four years.

Swift was given bail while probation officers prepare a report on him.

He will have to take an extended driving test at the end of his ban before being allowed to drive unsupervised again. His Porsche was written off by the crash.

He told the jury he was an apprentice field services engineer.