A young Harrogate man died when his car left the A59 as he drove home after drinking heavily, an inquest has heard.

Samuel Ronald Gibson, known as Sam, was 24 when the fatal collision occurred in the early hours of March 13 last year.

His Peugeot 208 spun off the road, collided with a tree, lifted up and landed in a ditch close near Poppleton at around 3.30am, today’s inquest was told by a police investigator.

A toxicology report after his death found he had 201mg of alcohol in his blood, against the legal limit of 80mg.

A statement from his colleague and friend Sophie Rothwell was read at the inquest held at the Coroner’s Court in Northallerton this afternoon. She said:

“When Sam was sober, he knew drink driving was wrong. However, when he went out it was like there was no controlling or stopping him and it wasn’t possible to reason with him…

“I would describe [Sam] as an unsafe driver [even when sober]. He drove very fast, exceeding the speed limit and I didn’t feel safe as a passenger.”

The court heard a statement from Sam’s mother, Jennifer Perkins, who said he had “always had a strong work ethic”, beginning with a paper round in his teens. He later moved into hospitality, working at Revolucion de Cuba and then Sainsbury’s in Harrogate.

The former Rossett School student had been manager at the Cosy Club bar in York for three-and-a-half years before moving to the Ivy in early 2022.

After passing his driving test at 18, Sam lost his licence aged 20 when he was convicted of drink-driving. When he had his licence back, Ms Perkins said he was “always very careful and cautious about not driving when he knew he would be drinking”.

However, in the few months prior to his death, she said there had been a couple of occasions when he had driven home after drinking.

Friends also said Sam was known to drive after drinking. Some had tried to hide his car keys to prevent him doing so, and others had stopped socialising with him.

Read more:

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In statements, colleague Sophie Rothwell and her boyfriend Max Bradford said they had been out with Sam in York on the night he died.

They said he had drunk lager, prosecco, wine, beer and spirits between around 8pm on Saturday, March 12 and 1.30am the following day.

Ms Rothwell said:

“He was so drunk that, at one bar, he couldn’t stand up properly and kept falling down.”

Sam stayed out after his friends went home, and he went to a nearby food van for something to eat.

Sam’s car was discovered in a ditch by the A59 around 7am the next morning.

The inquest heard he had suffered a “catastrophic” brain and spinal cord injury, described by the doctor performing the post-mortem as “an entirely unsurvivable event” which would have killed him almost instantly.

Forensic collision investigator PC Richard Barker said Sam had been wearing a seatbelt but the airbags in the car had not deployed, showing signs that they had previously activated and not been properly repaired.

Although he could not say for certain how fast the car was travelling, PC Barker believed it was in excess of the maximum speed at which the car could navigate the bends of the road.

North Yorkshire coroner Jonathan Leach concluded Sam had died as a result of the collision, saying:

“It would appear that Sam was driving along the A59 at speed and, I suspect as a result of the alcohol he had drunk, his concentration and his ability to drive properly was impaired.

“I suspect he over-reacted, left the road and struck a tree, and died at the scene.”

‘Devastation’

In their statements, both Ms Rothwell and Mr Bradford described Sam as a reliable friend and a good colleague who was the “life and soul” of both his workplace and any party.

Ms Rothwell added:

“Sam was the most reliable friend you could have asked for. He was the person you could call at any time and losing him has left a massive hole in my heart.”

Ms Perkins’ statement said Sam was a “nice young man” who had looked after her when she lost her sight and had taken gifts to an elderly neighbour who had moved into a care home. She added:

“While Sam made bad judgements and mistakes in relation to driving, this is the kind of loving, caring person Sam was and how I wish for him to be remembered.”

She added:

“I can’t express in words just how much devastation losing Sam has left behind. The whole family are suffering as a result. I can’t believe he has gone.”

Rossett School has paid tribute to Harrogate man and former student Sam Gibson, who has died in a car crash.

Police officers responded to reports of a vehicle leaving the road on the A59 near Upper Poppleton, between the junctions of Newlands Lane and Hodgson Lane, at about 7am on Sunday.

They discovered Mr Gibson’s grey Peugeot 208 car, which had left the road and landed on its roof.

The 24-year-old was certified dead at the scene.

Rossett School described Mr Gibson as a popular student who was a regular in theatrical performances.

A school spokesperson said:

“Sam was a popular student in both the lower school and in the sixth form.  A leading light in the performing arts, he performed and supported other students in classic productions such as ‘Oliver!’ when he was here at Rossett.

“He will be remembered as someone who was a friend to many; a champion for those less fortunate than him and an active fundraiser for charity. The thoughts of the whole Rossett community are with Sam’s family at this difficult time.”

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A cat from Harrogate has been found after four months in Poppleton, more than 20 miles from his home. One theory is that he caught the train..

Jasper, the black cat, lived with his owners in Harrogate, who adopted him from Harrogate Cat Rescue.

He was last seen on May 13 but was found again this weekend when his owners got a call from a York vet.

Jasper had found his way to Poppleton and was taken in by a family in June. The family mistook him for a pregnant female and took him to the vets this weekend.

When his microchip was scanned they learnt he had been reported missing.

His owner, Anna Whitehouse, said:

“It still feels so surreal having him back. It was heartbreaking at first when he didn’t remember me or his name. We never used to let him out at night but over lockdown it was so much quieter so we did.

When the Minster Vets in York rang us over the weekend it was amazing, we’d spoke the week before about stopping his insurance because he’d been gone so long.If only we had a camera to know what he’d been doing.”

Jasper had been missing for 19 weeks in total. His owners had searched for him for weeks during lockdown and put appeals on local social media groups. Only to find out he never was in Harrogate.

From being in his owner’s art studio to lounging in the sun in Poppleton, Jasper’s lockdown adventure will remain a mystery.

While many of us were having an uneventful lockdown. Jasper had gone on a summer getaway to Poppleton.

Phil Brierley found the cat in June and he became a part of his family. He said:

“He kept hanging round our door and he looked desperate and hungry – he really was on his last legs. I am a die hard Leeds football fan, so even though we thought he was a girl, we called him Bielsa. He was very skittish at the beginning but after a few weeks he was happy to come sit with you.

We were disappointed to send him back because he’s got a great character but I was delighted he had a family that had been missing him.”

Mr Brierley is certain Jasper jumped on the train near his home by Hornbeam Park station and “popped off at Poppleton”.

Neither family will ever know what happened to Jasper on his travels but both are happy he’s safe and sound, once again.