Mum found fatal crash scene while looking for sons

A mother discovered the crash scene where her son was killed while out looking for him and his identical twin in the middle of the night, a court has heard.

Thomas Plane and brother James were travelling home on e-bikes after a night out in Norwich when the pair fell off in Barrack Street shortly after 01:20 GMT on 24 December 2025.

Driver Nicolae Brica was distracted and struck both brothers, killing Thomas Plane, 28, and seriously injuring James.

The 48-year-old has been jailed for seven and a half years at Norwich Crown Court, after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving.

The twins' mother went searching in her car and came across blue flashing lights, where she stopped.

A police officer informed her of what had happened to her sons.

Romanian national Brica, of Heathgate, Norwich, was also sentenced for causing serious injury by careless driving and driving while over the legal alcohol limit.

The court heard how Thomas had travelled home from Manchester and they were out with friends that night.

They were on hired Beryl e-bikes when they fell off.

Prosecutor Stephen Donnelly said Brica, who was distracted, first hit James while the victim was trying to protect Thomas, who was lying in the road.

He was thrown backwards by about five or 10 metres.

Brica then hit Thomas, who was still lying in the road, dragging him under the car for several metres.

He had become trapped underneath the car, preventing paramedics from treating him and he died at the scene.

James suffered a broken leg, fractures to his hip and wounds to his head. He spent a week in hospital.

Thomas's long-term partner, Georgina Lintern, said she had been left "heartbroken and my entire world is shattered".

James said Thomas had told him he was about to propose to Lintern and said: "He told me I would be best man at his wedding - that is the speech I should have been writing."

Judge Shaw, who described the incident as "extremely traumatic" for the family, said he expected Brica to be deported after serving the jail term.

He said the factory worker had shown "disregard" for the UK's traffic laws after arriving in the UK in 2017 - having been convicted for drink driving in 2022.

Brica was found to be nearly twice over the legal drink-drive limit when he was tested after December's crash.

He was also banned from driving for 10 years.

The home secretary will decide whether he is deported to Romania after serving the full prison term.

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