A driver who caused the death of a young man has been jailed after being caught behind the wheel weeks into an 18-month driving ban. Michael Ronner, 40, of Courtney Road, Kingswood, was sentenced to eight months at Bristol Crown Court on 5 November.

The fatal crash

In June, Ronner received a suspended six-month sentence after admitting causing the death of Tyler Carley by careless driving. Tyler, 20, from Thornbury, was a passenger in the DAF scaffolding lorry Ronner was driving when it overturned on the A4174 near Mangotsfield on 5 December 2023. He died at the scene. A second passenger, his friend Cameron Williams, survived with minor injuries but took his own life the following year, aged 19.

Why the sentence was suspended

The judge in June said the right sentence was six months in prison, but a change in the law brought in days before his guilty plea meant it had to be suspended. He was also disqualified for 18 months.

Caught 47 days into the ban

On 22 July, 47 days into the ban, police saw Ronner driving a Mercedes X350 pickup in Mangotsfield. He told the officer he thought his ban was "harsh". He pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates' Court in August to driving while disqualified and without insurance.

"Deliberate and flagrant breach"

Judge Edward Burgess, who imposed the original ban, called it a "deliberate and flagrant breach" of the suspended sentence. He activated the six-month term in full and added two months for the new offence, making eight months. He also added 18 months to the unexpired part of Ronner's ban, so he is now disqualified for 31 months. Ronner faces a further charge of driving while disqualified at Bath Magistrates' Court, which he denies; a trial is due in April.