A man has been sentenced to 26 months in prison after an investigation into a fraudulent online donation page set up in memory of four men from Calne who died in a collision on the A4 at Derry Hill two years ago.

Jason MacDonald, 38, of Blackbird Court, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was found guilty on Friday, October 28 of possessing the criminal property of that fraud and possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

His accomplice Kyle Saunders, 18, was given a 12-month community order when he was sentenced by the Swindon Magistrates Court in January this year.

During his sentence, Saunders will need to complete 12 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Saunders had previously admitted fraud by false representation when appearing before Swindon Magistrates’ Court on December 1, 2021.

He was told to pay £2,000 in compensation to GoFundMe. There was no order for costs or a victim surcharge, because compensation took priority.

Saunders set up the fake GoFundMe page, titled ‘Jordan, Corey, Matt, Ryan Memorial’, in the wake of the quadruple-fatal car crash, raising £6,479.59.

MacDonald’s conviction concludes a long investigation into the GoFundMe page, which was set up shortly after the fatal collision on the A4 at Derry Hill near Calne.

Jordan Rawlings, 20, Corey Owen, 19, Matthew Parke, 19, and Ryan Nelson, 20, were killed when the car in which they were travelling left the road near Derry Hill in August 2020 and burst into flames after crashing into a house at more than 117mph.

Investigating Officer DC Kevin Golledge said: “We hope this result sends a strong message to others that we take such incidents seriously and we won’t hesitate to take action. This was a despicable crime that saw someone try to capitalise on the deaths of four young men.”

Police Sergeant Rich Marshall said: “This is a crime that has impacted the four children’s family and the people who paid into the donation account. We hope the sentencing will show that justice has been done and I hope this brings some closure for the families of the four young men.”

A separate genuine fundraising page was set up to raise money for the four crash victims. It raised more than £9,286.

The money was put towards a garden of reflection which was built at Castlefield Park in Calne.

The families of the four young men were kept updated on the police investigation throughout.