The family of crash victim Darcy Ross confronted garage owner Neil John Lewis outside Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Tuesday after he admitted falsifying an MOT for a car involved in the triple fatal crash that killed Ross, Eve Smith and Rafel Jeanne in March 2023. Police broke up angry scenes as Lewis, 47, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and acknowledged he knew the car was "dangerous".
What happened outside Cardiff Magistrates' Court?
Angry scenes erupted outside the court when Ross's family confronted Lewis as he left after the hearing. They brandished a framed photograph of Darcy Ross and shouted at him:
"Darcy Ross, remember her name."
The confrontation came after Lewis, of Llewellyn Avenue, Cardiff, admitted he had passed the vehicle despite problems linked to its warning system. The case is connected to the deaths of Ross, 21, Smith, 21, and Jeanne, 24, who died when the car crashed into woodland in St Mellons in March 2023 and remained undiscovered for two days.
What did the court hear about the car?
The court heard the white Volkswagen Tiguan had been involved in an accident in Scotland in 2021 before being salvaged and sold at auction to Joel Lia, a friend of Rafel Jeanne, who was driving on the night of the fatal crash. Prosecutor Francesca Parry said the car failed an MOT on 9 February 2023 with the warning system light on, indicating a fault with the seatbelt, air bag or both, and the mileage recorded at about 98,000.
Alexander Lewis, the defendant's son, carried out various repairs on the car, but not on the warning system because this was something the garage was not able to do. Lewis then retested the car on 23 February 2023 and told police in interview that when he did so
"the seatbelt and warning light were now off and the rear seatbelt was now working"so he
"passed it with some advisories"and it was collected by Jeanne.
Lewis sent Lia a text starting with a grin emoji which read:
"Car is done. It's 560 [pounds], you have to sort the seatbelt and the airbag light. I've passed the car though."There were gasps in court as the text was read out from members of Ross's family, and Lewis later acknowledged in an interview that the car
"was dangerous".
Why was the car considered unsafe?
Prosecutor Francesca Parry said the seatbelts on the car
"had not been replaced since the first collision in 2021 and were not working properly, and this would have been obvious from a glance". The false MOT came just weeks before the crash in which the three young people died and two others survived.
Who was in the car before the crash?
The five people travelling in the car were Sophie Russon, Smith, Ross, Jeanne and Shane Loughlin, 32. They were last seen at about 02:00 GMT on 4 March 2023 after they went missing on a night out.
The families of the three young women had all reported them missing on the evening of 4 March, with Gwent Police receiving the first missing persons report in relation to the group at about 19:30. Family and friends made repeated appeals over the weekend to find the missing group, and the mother of one of the girls said she had been told to stop contacting police for updates.
They were eventually found just after midnight on 6 March in the St Mellons area of the city. The car had crashed deep in undergrowth near a roundabout, and the group had not been found for 46 hours. Smith, Jeanne and Ross died, while Russon and Loughlin were critically injured and taken to hospital.
What did the Ross family say after the hearing?
Speaking on behalf of the Ross family, Andrew Frederick said they were pleased the defendant pleaded guilty and had fought for answers for years. He said:
"From the very beginning we raised concerns about the condition of the vehicle and asked for those concerns to be fully investigated.
"Nothing that has happened today changes the devastating reality that we live with every single day.
"Darcy was deeply loved and is missed beyond words. Every day without her is a reminder of the future which she has been denied and the immeasurable loss our family continues to endure. "
The Ross family attended the court case on Tuesday, and their reaction outside the building followed months and years of frustration over the circumstances of the crash and the condition of the vehicle.
What happens next in the case?
In November 2025, the IOPC said four Gwent Police officers would face gross misconduct hearings. Family members of those involved have previously expressed their upset and frustration over delays in getting answers about what happened that night.
The case was adjourned by Judge Charlotte Murphy until 19 August for reports to be done, and Lewis was released on unconditional bail.
Key Facts
- Neil John Lewis, 47, pleaded guilty at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to fraud by false representation.
- He admitted he knew the car was "dangerous".
- Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in a crash in St Mellons in March 2023.
- The group was missing for 46 hours before being found just after midnight on 6 March 2023.
- The case was adjourned until 19 August and Lewis was released on unconditional bail.
