Two brothers who raced each other along the A483 have been sentenced at Mold Crown Court for their roles in a crash that killed a father-of-two and left his nine-year-old son seriously injured. Abubakr Ben Yusaf received a 14-year prison term for causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing death while uninsured, while his brother Umar Ben Yusaf was given two years and nine months for causing death and serious injury by careless driving.
The collision took place near Welshpool, Powys, in November 2024, when Abubakr Ben Yusaf's BMW X3 lost control, drifted sideways and struck a Toyota Yaris head-on. Rhys Jenkins, a rugby referee, died at the scene, and his son Ioan was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.
Jenkins had been driving Ioan from their home in Meifod to Cardiff to watch Wales take on Australia — what would have been the first Wales rugby match the pair had attended together. The brothers, both locum optometrists, were travelling from Aberystwyth back to Manchester at the time of the crash.
What led to the crash?
The court was told the brothers had been competing with one another for position on the road, tailgating other vehicles aggressively and flashing their headlights before overtaking traffic in a reckless manner in the moments leading up to the collision. Prosecutors said that although Umar Ben Yusaf's car was not directly involved in the impact, his competitive driving alongside his brother contributed significantly to what happened.
According to ITV, Abubakr Ben Yusaf had also faced separate charges of drug driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis, though these were not among the charges on which he was found guilty. The same report described Rhys Jenkins as a well-known father and rugby coach from Powys.
What happened immediately after the crash?
Both brothers left the scene of the collision, while onlookers stepped in to help free Ioan from the wreckage of the family's car. Roughly 40 minutes after the crash, Umar Ben Yusaf returned to the area and told a police community support officer that the person responsible for the collision was with him.
This case previously went before a jury, and our earlier coverage detailed the allegations of reckless racing heard at trial as well as the eventual guilty verdicts returned against both brothers. Separately, the Manchester Evening News reported that an earlier trial had collapsed after the judge discharged the jury on legal grounds, which led to the case being retried before this verdict was reached, according to the Manchester Evening News. That outlet also reported the brothers' Manchester address as Esmond Road and gave their ages as 29 and 34.
How has the family been affected?
In a victim impact statement read after sentencing, Rhys Jenkins' wife Caroline, known as Carrie, said she frequently thinks about what might have changed had she held her husband and son a little longer before they left home that day.
She added that for her son, life "without a dad who was involved in everything you did is a hard adjustment" and it "carried an element of PTSD".
Carrie said her son Ioan continues to live with both physical and emotional scars from the crash, and described the loss as almost impossible to put into words.
"It's impossible to convey the full impact Rhys' death had on us," she said, adding there was a "massive hole left in our lives by his unnecessary death".
Ioan, who suffered two broken arms, a fractured rib and a perforated bowel in the crash, said in his own statement that he wished his father could still be there to watch him grow up.
Ioan said he wished his dad was still here to "watch me grow up and be my dad".
Rhys Jenkins' younger son, Gruff, who was six years old at the time, also gave a statement describing being at home when officers arrived to break the news to his mother.
"I ran out of the house. I didn't know where I was going. It was the worst feeling of my life."
What happens next?
According to a report from a national broadcaster, the brothers were convicted following an eight-day trial, as separately confirmed by ITV's coverage of the case, and Abubakr Ben Yusaf was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing, which had been scheduled for 27 July 2026. With sentencing now complete, the case is expected to move toward any potential appeal proceedings, though none have been confirmed publicly at this stage.
Key Facts
- The crash occurred near Welshpool, Powys, in November 2024 on the A483.
- Rhys Jenkins died at the scene; his son Ioan suffered serious injuries including two broken arms, a fractured rib and a perforated bowel.
- Abubakr Ben Yusaf was jailed for 14 years; Umar Ben Yusaf received two years and nine months.
- Both brothers, locum optometrists, were travelling from Aberystwyth to Manchester when the collision occurred.
- Sentencing had been scheduled for 27 July 2026 following an eight-day trial, according to broadcast reporting.
