From Farnham Herald

A DOCKENFIELD couple and one of their relatives from Liphook were killed in an horrific crash in the Caribbean when a conch poacher being chased by police smashed into their hire car head-on at almost 60mph, a UK inquest into the deaths heard this week.

Rotarian Ian Mansell, 72, and his wife Pamela, 74, and Pamela’s sister Marlene Wright, 69, from Liphook, were on holiday in the Cayman Islands when they were killed instantly in the collision shortly after 7pm on May 2 last year.

The 22-year-old Jamaican driver of the Honda Accord that hit the holidaymakers’ Kia Rio hire car, Shannay Delapenha, also died and was found to have been travelling with a ‘significant number’ of poached conch shells – two days outside the legal open season for conch collecting.

A three-day inquest into the crash, described as the “worst ever” on Cayman’s roads by local police, was held in the Caribbean in June with a jury ruling that the three British nationals died from “misadventure”.

This was followed on Tuesday this week by the UK inquest at Basingstoke Coroner’s Court, at which Coroner Andrew Bradley delivered a verdict of “accidental death”.

Mr Bradley concluded: “On May 2, 2017, Ian Mansell was driving his car along Austin Connolly Drive in the hours of darkness. He was struck by an oncoming car which failed to navigate a bend and collided with him head on.

“The verdict I enter is the accidental death verdict because I don’t think the driver of the Honda set out to kill the Mansells.”

It was revealed during the hearing that the Honda Accord travelled round a bend late at night at such speed Mr Mansell – a retired IT consultant and long-time member of the Rotary Club of Farnham Weyside – didn’t have time to move out of the way.

Cayman Islands traffic crash investigator Lenford Butler said in a statement to the inquest: “[The Honda] passed a marked police car going in the opposite direction. [The police officer driving the car], locked in the speed of the Honda as 57mph as it passed in the 30mph limit.

“The police officer engaged the car’s blue lights. The Honda continued on the eastbound lane towards the bend. Due to the fact the Honda was travelling at a greater speed, the force of the Honda pushed back the Kia.

“The Honda did not follow the curvature of the right hand bend and drifted over the centre line. The driver of the Kia didn’t have time to react to the Honda.”

Two passengers travelling in the boot of the Honda – an 11 year old boy and a 26 year old – received hospital treatment following the crash but survived.

After the inquest, Dockenfield neighbour Roger Trout paid tribute to Mr and Mrs Mansell, who served for many years on the General Medical Council and the Health and Care Professions Council.

Mr Trout said: “They were wonderful people, most often the life and soul of the party. Their death was a huge shock for a great number of people. I think 250 people attended the funeral.”

The Mansells, both active members of the Dockenfield community, had no children and left their assets to charity and their two cats.

IMAGES:
Ian and Pamela Mansell were on holiday on the Cayman Islands when they were killed in a car crash
The scene of the fatal crash in the Caymans

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