Father-of-Two Killed as Driver Faces 10-Year Jail Sentence

A deadly wrong-side overtake left father-of-two Paul Brand dead & three others seriously injured as reckless driver Sahil Nagpal refused to accept any blame in court. A dangerous motorist who killed a father-of-two in a head-on collision while overtaking on a blind stretch of road has been jailed for 10 years.

Sahil Nagpal, 30, performed what prosecutors described as a “dangerous overtaking manoeuvre” on the A171 between Whitby and Teesside shortly after 19:00 on 8 October 2023, crossing solid white lines and ignoring clear road markings and a warning sign indicating a hidden dip, Teesside Crown Court heard.

His Hyundai i40 was fully on the wrong side of the carriageway when it struck a vehicle driven by Paul Brand, a 41-year-old father-of-two who died at the scene. Three of Nagpal’s own relatives travelling with him suffered serious injuries as a result of the impact.

Nagpal, from Wardley in Gateshead but listed in court as being of no fixed abode, denied causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. After a four-day trial, a jury found him guilty on all charges in the face of what police described as overwhelming evidence of culpability.

Read more: Driver Jailed for Killing Mother and Daughter in High-Speed Crash

The court was told Mr Brand had been travelling lawfully along the rural route when Nagpal’s vehicle appeared without warning in his lane. Jurors were shown collision investigation findings confirming there had been no attempt by Nagpal to brake or return to the correct side of the road before the fatal crash.

Sentencing the defendant on Tuesday, the judge imposed a 10-year prison term for causing death by dangerous driving, alongside a concurrent total of seven years for the three serious injury offences. Nagpal was also disqualified from driving for six years and must take an extended re-test if he seeks to regain his licence.

Speaking after the hearing, Gemma Brett of North Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Investigation Unit said Nagpal’s refusal to accept responsibility forced the case to trial and required the victim’s family to endure the details of the incident in open court. She said it was right that he faced the full consequences of his actions.

Mr Brand had two children, including a grandson who will never meet his grandfather, relatives said in a statement issued following the sentencing.