Sandfields man jailed after fatally running over 85-year-old

A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed after he knocked down and killed a former Neath Port Talbot Council leader while under the influence of drugs.

22-year-old Zack Mason, from Sandfields, struck 85-year-old Thomas Crowley – known as Noel - with his vehicle as Crowley crossed Port Talbot’s Water Street on December 7, 2024. Crowley died in hospital three days later.

Mason was arrested at the scene and provided a positive saliva sample for controlled drugs. He tested 2.3 microgrammes of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinnol in 1 litre of blood

Mason pleaded guilty to causing death by due care while over the prescribed limit and causing death by driving a vehicle whilst unlicensed and uninsured. Mason’s provisional licence had been revoked in 2022 after he was caught driving without insurance.

He has been sentenced to four years in prison.

He has also been banned from driving for seven years and must pass an extended test before achieving a licence.

PC Luis Tobenas said:

“Zack Mason took the decision to drive uninsured, without a licence and when he had recently consumed cannabis to a level exceeding the legal limit for driving. As a result, he cost Noel Crowley his life, and left his family and the wider community completely devastated.

“Mason will now have to live with what he has done for the rest of his life.

“Our thoughts remain with Mr. Crowley’s family, and we hope that this verdict gives them some comfort.”