Man jailed for killing motorcyclist on Shropshire road

Danny Francis, of Welshpool, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Friday, 28 November, after previously pleading guilty. During the hearing the court was told how on the night of September 30, 2023, Francis had been out drinking with friends in and around Shrewsbury.

The 29-year-old started drinking at a pub in Marton near Welshpool, where he sat with a friend and drank a pint of cider. From there Francis proceeded to drive his five-seater Range Rover Sport, with as many as seven passengers at one point, to eight more pubs while under the influence of alcohol.

When Francis arrived at each location he continued to drink more alcoholic drinks, with one receipt showing he spent £40 on shots and £21 on a round of drinks. It was said he drank 11 pints of cider and a shot of liquor. The final bar Francis drank at was in Shrewsbury Town Centre, 15 miles away from the first pub. At around 11.15 pm Franis got food before getting into his car to drive himself and a friend home to Welshpool.

As he was travelling down the A458 Welshpool Road near to Rowton Castle at around 12.03 am on October 1, 2023, Francis lost control of his vehicle attempting to negotiate a large pool of water on the road.

In doing so he went onto the opposite carriageway, where he collided head on with two motorcycles being ridden by Benjamin Worrall and his friend Nathan. Francis then left the road before coming to a stop in a hedge, before he and his passenger left the scene.

Members of the public then came across the collision and attempted to give first aid to Benjamin and Nathan. Sadly, despite everyone’s best efforts to save Benjamin, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Nathan suffered life-changing injuries and was taken to hospital.

While emergency services were at the scene of the collision, Francis called his girlfriend from a nearby field, asking to be picked up. He was located at an address in Knockin by officers at 6 am the same day and arrested. Due to him being arrested almost seven hours after the incident, a forensic toxicologist was employed to calculate Francis' expected breath-alcohol level at the time of the collision.   

The toxicologist reported that the range of expected breath-alcohol concentrations was between 53 micrograms and 111 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Francis stated in his first police interview that he had only drank one pint of cider all night. When Francis was re-interviewed with all of the new evidence surrounding his drinking on the night in question, he failed to comment.

Francis was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty to all charges in September 2025.

On Friday, 28 November, he was given seven years for causing death by dangerous driving, and two years for causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The sentences are to run concurrently. The judge also disqualified him from driving for 11 years.

Detective Constable Richard Owen, from the force’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “The actions of Francis that night was nothing short of selfish; resulting in a teenager losing his life, and a man suffering life changing injuries.

“Not only was he driving under the influence of alcohol, but he was driving around passengers, knowing he should not have been behind the wheel.

“Despite hearing the cries of those he'd injured following the collision, Francis cowardly chose to flee from the scene than face any consequences."

“I would like to commend Ben’s family and friends, as well as Nathan, for their patience as we investigated this, and I hope today’s sentence is able to bring them some form of closure to move forward with their lives.”

DC Owen continued: “I hope this sentence sends a strong message to anyone who thinks it is okay to drink and drive, because it is not. Your actions can have a devastating impact on the lives of many others. 

“My advice is if you are out drinking, please plan how you’re getting home. Book a taxi or arrange a lift, it is never worth the risk driving under the influence of alcohol.”

Tribute Paid

Following the sentencing, Benjamin’s family have paid the following tribute to him: “Ben was a unique person. He would always have something on his head, normally a bucket. 

"He loved ducks, pumpkins and most of all bikes. We never fully understood where the pumpkin love came from, but he loved to chase and feed the ducks, and saved up all his money from the paper round he did at the age of 12 to buy his first bike.

“Ben was fiercely loyal and a protector to his family and friends. Despite being the youngest of his friends he was always the one to make sure they were looked after. He always carried the rucksack with the WD40 and duct tape in case they needed it during a ride.

“He loved his little sister and would do anything for her, and he always knew when she needed help, and he would be there in a heartbeat.

“Ben always wanted to be a builder, so after getting his GCSEs he went to college and completed his course in six months. He then went on to work for his cousin; in a job he loved.

“Family meant a lot to Ben, and he would always help - at a cost because he was always saving his money for his future. A week before he passed, he was helping to build a wall for his nan, which to no one’s surprise he invoiced her for. But that was our Ben, and we loved that about him.

“He loved to go fishing like his granddad. And he loved a good cup of tea, especially Yorkshire Tea. He really was an old soul in a young man’s body.

“Ben wanted to be a dad one day. He always talked about how he wanted to teach his children the things his dad had taught him.

“He hadn’t long started a new relationship and had so many plans and dreams for him and his girlfriend, Summer. Sadly, their dreams were cut short.

“We lost our son that night, but so many people were left with a Ben shaped hole in their lives following what happened. People lost their friend, their grandson, boyfriend, big brother and cousin.

“It wasn’t enough time with him; we should have had a lot more time with him with a lot more photos and videos and memories made.

“He just wanted to help people and make people smile. He was just our Ben."