Man 'found his dead best friend in just 15 minutes' after Newport horror smash - after police needed 46 hours

8 March 2023, 08:42

A man found his best friend who died in a car crash near Newport after just 15 minutes of looking, after police were looking for nearly two days.

Father-and-son pair Matthew Pace, 45, and Lewis, 26, a friend of Rafel Jeanne, one of the three people who died in the horror crash off the A448, went looking for the wreckage after his pal had been missing for nearly two days.

They saw the tyre tracks coming off the St Mellons roundabout before letting police know.

Window cleaner Mr Pace said: “The police took over so luckily I didn’t actually have to see the wreckage.

“If they were found sooner, maybe there would be better news.

“I would have thought the police would have been looking from the moment they were reported missing on Saturday.”

Lewis said he was "best mates" with Rafel and the last time they spoke was Thursday night.

He added: “I'm devastated. I can't cope, I can't eat. It's just devastating.

"When I saw them skid marks, obviously I was praying that it was nothing to do with it and it turns out it was."

Along with Mr Jeanne, 24, Eve Smith, 21 and Darcy Ross, 21, died in the collision, while Sophie Russon and Shane Loughlin, 32, remain in a critical condition.

The group were eventually found on Monday morning, after going missing in the early hours of Saturday.

Officers believe the car was involved in a collision and left the road some time later, but further investigations are needed to establish an exact time.

Friends, family and well-wishers held a vigil for the crash victims on Tuesday night.

Assistant Chief Constable Jason Davies, of South Wales Police, said: "Our thoughts are with the families of all those affected by this tragic incident.

"To ensure independent oversight, South Wales Police has referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is usual in these circumstances." The IOPC has said it is investigating the incident.

The group had been to a social club in Maesglas, Newport, on Friday and are thought to have then travelled 40 miles to the Trecco Bay area of Porthcawl. After failing to go home, the five were reported missing by their families.

Anna Cerowicz, the mother of Ms Russon, said she didn't know how the police had not found the crash for so long. She added that she wondered if the people who died could have been saved if they were found sooner.

Ms Cerowicz, who said her daughter had been left "unrecognisable", added: “The police told me they died on impact but the only people who will know that are Sophie and Shane. They are the only witnesses."

She told The Sun she called Gwent Police 20 times over the weekend but was told at first she was probably still out enjoying herself: "I told them that wasn't Sophie. She doesn’t go out on weekend benders.

"No one could reach her on her mobile on social media which she uses all the time."On Sunday the police told me to stop ringing — they weren't annoyed, just dismissive."

David Ford, IOPC director, said: "After careful assessment of referrals from Gwent Police and South Wales Police, we have decided to independently investigate how police responded to the missing person reports.

"We will be examining what information police had, the grading given to any risk assessments and the steps taken by police to locate the missing people prior to the Volkswagen Tiguan being found just after midnight on Monday.

"We will also consider what communication took place between the two forces and whether police action was appropriate and followed relevant policy and procedures."