‘Cowardly’ boyfriend drove off and left girlfriend, 22, to die in the road after she fell off his quad bike

A "COWARDLY" boyfriend drove off and left his girlfriend to die in the road after she fell off his quad bike. Alex Evans, 31, had been riding a single seat quad with Grace Vater sat on the back when the horror unfolded. The 22-year-old suffered a severe head injury and was knocked unconscious during the fall near Shipton Moyne, Gloucestershire. While passers-by rushed over to help, callous Evans left his girlfriend of five years on the road and fled the scene.

Grace was airlifted to hospital but tragically died two days on Christmas Day, 2023. Her mum today slammed cowardly Evans as he was jailed for two years at Gloucester Crown Court. Angela Vater said: "Alex and Gracie were in a relationship for a long time and moved in together. I accepted Alex as part of the family, we would spend time with them as a family and it was nice to see Grace happy with Alex and that he was welcomed into the family.

''How Alex behaved after the collision makes me so incredibly angry and upset. To treat her with such disregard and to not stay with her.". The mum also paid tribute to her "best friend" in the moving statement and told how Grace was "always so kind and friendly to everyone she met". Angela continued: "Her loss is profound and words cannot begin to convey just how much of a hole her death has left in my life.

"Life will never be the same. I can't believe I have to live the rest of my life like this, without her.". The court was told that due to working in the farming industry, Evans would often ride the quad bike with Gracie sat on the rear rack. But the vehicle was not designed to have passengers and would have meant it was dangerously loaded. Evans should also not have been on a public road as he had been disqualified from driving two months before the horror.

He was arrested shortly after fleeing the scene as Grace was rushed to hospital. Police searching his home found the single seat quad bike tucked away behind a pallet door in an empty lean-to. The court was told Evans had been banned from driving after being convicted of driving while above the limit of controlled drugs, namely cannabis, in April 2023. He was employed as a general farm worker but did not tell his employer about the ban as his job and accommodation would be at risk.

His lawyer Matthew Harbinson said: "The fact is that had he known that there was such an inherent risk involved in allowing his partner, whom he loved, to ride on the back of his quad bike, he would never have allowed that practice to take place. "For him it has been a tragedy, a matter of great personal loss and something that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.". Evans pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving while disqualified and uninsured.