The family of a woman who was killed while she was the passenger of a vehicle in a street race has launched a petition asking for the law to be changed so that courts can impose tougher sanctions in instances where defendants are considered ‘unfit to plead.’

Jay Bayliss was driving the vehicle which 20-year-old Sophie Brimble was in when it collided with a lamppost during a street race in Brynmawr. The woman, from Crickhowell, sadly died at the scene in the early hours of July 26 2017.

At the time, the driver was deemed unfit to stand trial due to injuries sustained at the time. But in 2024, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charged Bayliss with causing death by dangerous driving after police had discovered he had successfully reapplied for his driving license.

However, he was considered unfit for criminal proceedings once again. Last month he was found jointly responsible for causing Sophie’s death at a trial of facts.

Neil Brooks, who was driving the other car, was jailed in September 2019 for eight years and disqualified from driving for a further five following his release from prison.

But Bayliss, now 32, was given absolute discharge from Newport Crown Court following the two-day trial in April. That means no punishment has been imposed because going before a judge was already considered to be punishment enough.

Now, Sophie’s family have launched a petition urging the government to review and reform the law on defendants being considered unfit to plead. They also want policy makers to look into judicial powers following a trial of facts, calling for mandatory public safety measures such as driving bans if defendants are found to be responsible.

“In our view, current laws on defendants ‘unfit to plead’ are outdated and fail to protect the public and deliver justice,” a family spokesperson said.

“Even when a jury finds someone caused serious harm or death courts have limited powers and may impose no meaningful sanctions. We believe that this legal gap denies justice to victims, restricts judges and risks public safety. Reform is urgently needed.”

Limited options available to Judge Celia Hughes at the sentencing hearing on April 8 meant no custodial sentence or driving ban could be imposed.

The decision devastated Sophie’s loved ones. After waiting almost nine years for justice, the individual who had been found responsible for causing her death would face no further punishment.

Sophie’s sister, Aimee Coombes, from Crickhowell, said she wants no family to go through what hers has.

“No family should have to sit through years of pain and court proceedings only to feel completely failed at the end of it,” she said.

“No family should feel that the life of their loved one has been reduced to nothing. As a family, we were left completely heartbroken. It felt like Sophie’s life did not matter in the eyes of the justice system.”

“But Sophie mattered. She still matters every single day to all of us who love and miss her. We carry a life sentence of grief every single day.”

The petition would require 10,000 signatures to be met with a response by the government and has already amassed almost 1,000 in less than a week.