A family has taken a positive step forwards in their campaign to change the law after the man deemed responsible for causing 20-year-old Sophie Brimble’s death walked free.

Sophie’s boyfriend, Jay Bayliss, was driving the car in which she was a passenger during a street race in Brynmawr when they collided with a lamppost. Tragically, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time, Jay Bayliss was deemed to be unfit to stand trial due to injuries he had sustained in the incident. However, when police had discovered he had successfully reapplied for his driving license in 2024, the investigation was reopened. But when the now 32-year-old Bayliss was taken to court in April this year, he was once again declared unfit for criminal proceedings and the judge was left powerless to take his license away.

He was given an absolute discharge at Newport Crown Court, which means no further action will be taken as going through the criminal justice process has already been deemed punishment enough - even though he was found to be ‘jointly responsible’.

What have Sophie’s family done to try and change that law?

Earlier this year, Sophie’s family launched a petition to change the law that applies to those who are found responsible in a court of law. They want mandatory safety measures, such as driving bans and restraining orders, that courts can already hand down without strictly requiring a criminal conviction.

For a petition to be discussed in parliament, it needs to reach at least 100,000 signatures within a six month period. In this case, Sophie’s family achieved their goal of reaching 100,000 signatures on the deadline day itself - Sunday November 8th.

Sophie’s sister, Aimee, thanked everyone who has supported their cause so far and said Sophie would be proud.

“When we started this journey, reaching 100,000 signatures in six months felt almost impossible. But in just nine days, we have gone from 12,655 signatures to over 100,000,” she said.

“The work that has gone into this petition has been exhausting. There have been tears, frustration, long days and so much energy poured into making this happen. But we’ve done it! It just goes to show that hard work, determination and the power of people coming together really can make a difference.”

“For now, it’s time to take a breath, relax and enjoy some much-needed time with my loved ones, preparing for the most magical time of the year. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Every single signature, share, message and bit of support has meant more than you will ever know.”

What happens now?

Now that the petition has reached over 100,000 signatures, the cross-party Petitions Committee in Westminster must consider whether the family’s bid to change the law can be discussed by MPs in the House of Commons.

While meeting the threshold on the petition makes it likely that the matter will be discussed in parliament, it does not guarantee a debate. The comittee could decline to debate the topic if it feels the government cannot take action on the matter.

There is still lots of work to do. There will not be any vote at a petition debate, and thus it cannot change the law. However, the debate would force the government to publicly address the current law and make its position on the issue of defendants unfit to stand trial public.

If the committee decides that there will be a debate, it will be scheduled for MPs to debate in the House of Commons.