Wealthy German businessman jailed for killing accountant in road smash caused when he forgot what side of the road to drive on
78-year-old man had recently returned from Europe when he crashed into other motorist head-on at 80mph
A German businessman has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after he ploughed into another motorist at 80mph, when he forgot which side of the road to drive on.
Mark Smith, an accountant, was killed following the head-on crash with a "pillar of the community" who was sent to prison on Monday.
Hans Wegerdt, 78, had returned from a trip to Germany hours before the crash on October 19 last year, and had set off for his local Rotary Club when he realised he had left his wallet at his £450,000 home in Claverdon in Warwickshire.
He sped back home at 80mph through a 50mph zone, forgetting to drive back on the left hand side of the road, and crashed into Mr Smith's Volvo on the A4189 near the village of Henley-on-Arden.
Wegerdt was jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving at Warwick Crown Court on June 6, and was also banned from driving for five years after he is released from prison.
Recorder Michael Burrows told him: "This is a tragic case. Nothing I can say or do can bring back Mark Smith, undo the damage done, or take away the pain you caused.
"I am very conscious it is the families, particularly the family of Mark Smith, who bear the brunt of the pain. The sentence I pass is no reflection on the value of his life.
"For the rest of your life you will have to live with the guilty knowledge that you caused the death of a young man who was merely driving home from work, who had done nothing wrong and just happened to be in your path.
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"I accept you were not deliberately driving on the wrong side of the road but, having just returned from abroad, it was all the more reason for you to take care and not be speeding."
Amy Jacobs, defending, told the court Wegerdt was "a broken man".
She added: "He wishes it was in his power to swap his own life for that of Mr Smith. He feels greatly the burden of what he's done."
Speaking after the sentencing Mr Smith's brother, Andrew, said: "Wegerdt was described as a broken man who was deeply remorseful for his actions. I was in court and I saw no remorse.
"He didn't look at us, I saw no tears and he had a face of stone. Mark was an intelligent, loving and caring man.
"He was a sensible and careful driver. He was an accountant who drove a Volvo - that says it all.
"No jail sentence will ever bring him back or lessen the pain but, with the way our justice system works, Wegerdt will be out in just 14 months."
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