A LECTURER and sheep farmer who killed a grandmother in a head-on crash after “fiddling with his car radio” has been jailed for more than five years.

Iestyn Jones was locked up after being found guilty by a jury of causing the death by dangerous driving of Shirley Culleton, 65, from Cwmbran.

The fatal collision took place on the A4046 Cwm bypass, near Ebbw Vale, at around 1.20pm on Saturday, July 6, 2019.

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Jones, of Old Tram Road, Tafarnaubach, Tredegar, was convicted following a five-day trial at Newport Crown Court.

Prosecutor Laurence Jones told the jury the defendant had caused the crash after “fiddling with his car radio”.

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He had denied being responsible for Mrs Culleton’s death and claimed he couldn’t remember the collision.

The 54-year-old defendant was also found guilty of causing serious injury to her husband Michael Culleton by dangerous driving.

Jones, was driving alone in a Hyundai IX35 when he hit a Suzuki Swift car being driven by Mr Culleton.

We’ve been living in a nightmare

His wife was a front seat passenger in that vehicle and died at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, from her injuries the day after the crash.

Mr Culleton spent several weeks at Abergavenny’s Nevill Hall Hospital after suffering a broken pelvis, fractured ribs and a laceration to his kidney.

In a victim impact statement, written by their son Paul Culleton on behalf of the family, and read at the hearing by his wife Emma, they said: “It’s almost two-and-a-half years since this tragic incident happened and even though time is passing, the hurt and heartache is still as raw today as it was in 2019.

“July 6, 2019 was the day our lives changed forever and the heart of our family was taken away from us.

"We’ve been living in a nightmare ever since.

“Every day we are filled with anger, sadness, grief and many other overwhelming emotions.

"I continuously feel like I have forgotten something and like I have this very big whole inside me that I know will never be filled.

“If I had a bad day I would always ring my mum and she would always be there and know what to say to make everything okay.

"All I want to do is make that phone call, but she won’t be there to answer.”

Mr Jones told the jury Jones was to blame for the head-on collision when he became distracted as he took his eyes off the road.

He said he had “looked and fiddled with his car radio” before swerving into the path of Mr and Mrs Culleton.

The jury was told that the defendant said to witnesses at the crash scene that he had retuned his radio just before the collision.

Jones said: “I only took my eye off the road for a second.”

He told the court he could not remember travelling from the roundabout by the Cwm bypass and the next thing he remembered was speaking to someone after the crash.

Mr Jones told the defendant: “You are being selective in what you remember from that day.

“You are choosing not to tell the jury your recollections from that day.”

Jones replied: “I can’t remember.”

During his evidence, the defendant told the court he was an electrical engineering lecturer at Coleg Gwent in Ebbw Vale and also runs a 200-acre sheep farm.

He said he was an experienced driver who had held a HGV licence to drive lorries.

Judge Richard Williams jailed Jones for five years and six months and was told he would serve half that sentence in prison before being released.

He was banned from driving for five years and nine months.