The family of a woman who was killed in a street race in Brynmawr nine years ago will get a response to their calls for the law to be changed after a petition started by them reached 10,000 signatures.

Sophie Brimble, from Crickhowell, was killed when the car her boyfriend was driving during a street race in Brynmawr collided with a lamppost during a street race. She was just 20 years old.

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’.

Sophie’s family were left reeling by the decision which they felt made her life worthless in the eyes of the law. So, after the Trial of Facts, they launched a petition calling on the UK government to change the law from 1836 that saw the driver of the vehicle face no further consequence.

“In our view, current laws on defendants ‘unfit to plead’ are outdated and fail to protect the public and deliver justice,” a family spokesperson said when the petition was launched

“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.”

“Our family has gone through nine years of pain, only to be failed by the court system at the end of it.”

Their petition calls for mandatory public safety measures to be introduced when somebody is found to be responsible for an incident when they are considered unfit for criminal proceedings. For example, this could be a driving ban, a restraining order or a ban from visiting certain areas among other steps that a court can already hand down in other circumstances.

But now that the petition has amassed a total of over 10,000 signatures, the UK Government must respond to Sophie’s family and acknowledge their proposal directly. A Facebook page, Justice for Sophie, has also been set up to help publicise the family’s appeal to prioritise victims’ rights and public protection.

Although the Government does have to respond, the issue will not be debated in parliament until the petition reaches 100,000 signatures. The petition closes on November 8 2026, giving the family less than three months to reach the next big target - so they are still appealing for anyone to support their mission and help them to change the law.

The petition can be accessed by clicking here.