Mother reveals the heartbreaking moment she went to see her 'unrecognisable' ... trends now
A mother has revealed the heartbreaking moment she went to see her 'unrecognisable' son, 19, in the morgue after he was killed by an 'overindulged' teenage driver.
Ben Rogers died while being driven by Owain Hammett-George, then 17, at speeds of up to 78mph in a 30mph zone in Bishoptown, Swansea.
The teenager had been 'showing off' in his brand new £21,000 Alfa Romeo before crashing the vehicle in an incident on May 31 2022 which also killed 19-year-old Kaitlyn Davies and left Casey Thomas, then 17, in intensive care for almost a month.
Now Ben's mother Carla King has described the anguish at receiving a knock from police officers at 3.20am and having to identify her son's body at the morgue the next day.
She told the Mirror: 'I asked them how Ben was again and again because it wasn't computing. It's not something you can describe, I can't even work out how I got dressed.'
Carla King has revealed the heartbreaking moment she went to see her 'unrecognisable' son Ben Rogers (pictured), 19, in the morgue after he was killed by an 'overindulged' teenage driver
Ms King (pictured, right) has described the anguish at receiving a knock from police officers at 3.20am and having to identify her son's body at the morgue the next day
Ben died while being driven by Owain Hammett-George (pictured), then 17, at speeds of up to 78mph in a 30mph zone in Bishoptown, Swansea
Ms King added that she had been receiving support for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
'You often only find out after someone has died what an impact they had on people’s lives, and that was the case with Ben,' she said.
After his death, Ben's family installed a bench at the beach opposite Swansea Rugby Club, where the teenager had enjoyed swimming and surfing with friends.
A message on the memorial reading 'Be More Ben' was inspired by the youngster's trait of not judging anyone, according to his mother.
In March a judge at Swansea Crown Court slammed Hammet-George's father Dewi George, a businessman, for 'overindulging' his son after he took the blame for his speeding ticket months before the crash.
The court heard how the teenager crashed the powerful car - which was complete with a personalised number plate reading OW11 AAN - only three months after passing his test.
Hammett-George, now 19, from Birchgrove, Swansea, was jailed for six years at Swansea Crown Court on March 28 after admitting to causing death by dangerous driving, and of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Following the collision, it emerged that Hammett-George had been caught speeding just a week after passing his test in February 2022, but his father took the blame to avoid him getting points on his licence.
She told the Mirror : 'I asked them how Ben was again and again because it wasn't computing. It's not something you can describe, I can't even work out how I got dressed'
'You often only find out after someone has died what an impact they had on people’s lives, and that was the case with Ben,' she said
After his death, Ben's family installed a bench at the beach opposite Swansea Rugby Club, where the teenager had enjoyed swimming and surfing with friends
Kaitlyn Davies (pictured) also died in the crash and her mother, Kimberly Davies, told the court: 'She was an amazing human being with a wonderful sense of humour'
The court heard Dewi George had claimed he was driving the Alfa Romeo on February 28 2022 - seven days after his son passed his test - when it was caught travelling at 35mph in a 30mph limit in Swansea.
Following the fatal accident, police investigated the speeding offence and found George had been working in Cardiff at that time.
He was jailed for four months in July 2023 after admitting perverting the course of justice. The judge at the time warned George his son had 'not learnt a lesson' as a result.
Ms King expressed her anger at Hammett-George's parents' behaviour in the run up to the fatal crash and said they had not done enough about his previous speeding.
She added that while she was delivering her statements in court she had tried to make sure she 'looked at his parents just as much as she did him'.
Judge Geraint Walters, sentencing Hammett-George, said: 'You were nowhere near ready to be entrusted with a motor car at the time that you were.
'You are immature and, in my judgment on the facts of
