A YOUNG Romanian driver, who was unqualified and uninsured, crashed almost head-on with an oncoming car on Whiteball Hill, killing himself and his passenger after drinking alcohol.

Alexandru Pintea, 20, of Mantle Street, Wellington, lost control of a Citroen Xsara in the early hours of July 23 and collided with a Mini Cooper. He and his front-seat passenger, fellow Romanian Nicu Manea, 23, also of Mantle Street, were wearing seatbelts but died of aorta artery haemorrhages.

The other driver, Laura Chesterfield, escaped with a broken collarbone. An inquest was told she and two young children had spent the day with her parents in Wellington and she was on her way to collect her husband, Ross, in Exeter to ‘bring him home’ after he called her at 1.40am.

For the full story see this week’s Wellington Weekly News.