Soldier who horrified engaged couple when he skipped army duty to take friends to Halloween party is jailed
A SOLDIER who killed a young engaged couple in a horror crash after skipping army duty to take his friends to a party has been jailed.
Private Bradley Clough previously 'stuffed' seven friends into his five-seater car the driving aggressively to the Halloween ball.
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The 25-year-old was told to slow down just before he lost control of the car and crashed into trees.
Tragically, Corporal Jack Paolucci, 19, and his fiancée Private Courtney Jennings, 18, were killed in the crash.
Clough has now been jailed for three years for two charges of causing death by careless driving at Winchester Crown Court.
In a joint victim impact statement, Jack and Courtney's families said: “It is still impossible to understand, understand or see a way forward without the light that Courtney and Jack brought into our lives.
“This is a tragic night that has affected the lives of countless families.
“Some of the heartbreak would have been assuaged by the truth and Bradley's remorse for an action that cost us so much.
“But unfortunately that wasn't to be.
“However, we are grateful that after two years and three months we have justice and Bradley Clough is given time to think.” jail It's so obvious he needs that.”
The court was told that Clough had dropped the duty to take the group from Tidworth to the party at a club in Andover, Hampshire, on October 29, 2021.
All passengers served in the same regiment as Clough and were based at Tidworth.
As they left the base, he was told by Jack Latus to “slow down effectively” as the car sped into a corner.
But Clough slipped out of control as he reached the coroner, causing the car to crash into trees on the other side of the road.
Both Jack and Courtney were pronounced dead shortly afterwards, while Jack Latus and fellow passenger Kallum Ryan were seriously injured.
Investigators later discovered that the car was overloaded and that one of the tires was underinflated.
In his Police During an interview, Clough lied to officers and claimed he was blinded by oncoming headlights.
Jack and Courtney, who were engaged, had their whole lives and promising careers in the military ahead of them.
Investigative Agent Rachel Catling
But when the CCTV footage was checked, police discovered that there was no other vehicle in the area at the time of the incident horror.
In addition to a prison sentence, Clough was also banned from driving for three and a half years.
Investigating officer Rachel Catling, of the Serious Collision Investigation Team, said: “Clough's actions were incredibly reckless and irresponsible, resulting in the tragic deaths of two young people.
“Jack and Courtney, who were engaged, had their entire lives and promising careers in the US army for them.
'I would like to pay tribute to them and their parents who have behaved with dignity and respect throughout this lengthy process, despite the significant amount of pain they must have experienced.
“I'm glad he is in prison for his actions and I hope that Jack and Courtney's families can get some kind of closure and begin to rebuild their lives.”
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