THE FAMILY of a drink driver victim have spoken out after their son’s Swindon killer was handed a three-year prison sentence.

Ben Fulcher, 21, died in a car crash in Suffolk in October 2016. 

Police officers found him shortly after 11am on October 15, when they were called to reports of a red Mini having been driven off the road.

Ben – a passenger in the car – was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe that the crash took place sometime in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Josh Caines, 23, now of Kingshill Road, Swindon, was arrested that day, but was only charged a year later, on October 30 2017.

He appeared at Ipswich Crown Court last week, where he pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

On Friday, Caines was sentenced to three years in prison. He was also banned from driving for three-and-a-half years.

The family of Caines’ victim have slammed the sentence as “short”. 

In a statement, shared by Suffolk Constabulary, they said: “The sentence given in court today will never reflect the pain of losing Ben. 

“The longer courts continue to hand out short prison sentences to drink drivers, the more deaths there will be on our roads. Deaths that could have been avoided. 

“People need to realise that the risk of killing or being killed is very real and this ultimately destroys lives.”

They added that the number of alcohol breath tests undertaken by England and Wales police forces have fallen by almost a third between 2010 and 2016.

“Some drivers choose to take the risk as they feel they won’t get caught,” they said. “Drink drivers need to fear detection every day, not just in December campaigns. Our roads cannot be made safe until drink drivers are detected and deterred.

“The past 15 months have been the most difficult period of our lives. Throughout this time we have been unable to grieve whilst we have waited to finally hear a guilty plea and Josh Caines to take responsibility for his actions.

“As a family we would like to thank those that have supported us and will continue to do so.

“Ben will forever be remembered as a kind, funny and loyal young man.

We miss him every day and the heartache of losing him will last a lifetime. 

“We feel honoured and are proud to have had him in our lives for 21 years.” 

Sgt Scott Lee-Amies of Suffolk Constabulary said: “This tragic collision has had terrible consequences for all those involved. 

“Having suffered an unimaginable loss in such circumstances I would also like to express my condolences and thanks to Ben Fulcher’s family who have been very supportive throughout the investigation.”