Grieving family confront rogue mechanic who wrongly passed MOT of dangerous car which killed three people in crash outside court

Published: 15:54, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 15:54, 21 July 2026 A grieving family has confronted the mechanic who wrongly passed the MOT of a car that killed three people in a crash - after he brushed off an issue with the seatbelt. Neil Lewis, 47, confessed to fraud by false representation following the deaths of Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21, and driver Rafel Jeanne, 24. The trio were inside the Volkswagen Tiguan with Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, when the vehicle veered off the road and smashed into trees in a wooded area. The family of Ms Ross approached Lewis outside Cardiff Magistrates' Court today - brandishing a framed photo of her and shouting: 'Darcy Ross, remember her name.' Families of the three young women had all reported them missing on the evening of March 4 - after they drove from Newport, Gwent, along the M4 to a caravan park in the seaside resort of Porthcawl. They were left trapped in the wreckage for two days following the crash in St Mellons, Cardiff. Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were eventually found alive but trapped in the wrecked vehicle. Lewis, of Ely, Cardiff, appeared at Cardiff Magistrates' Court after a lengthy police investigation. Lewis is challenged by the family (R) of Darcy Ross, who was one of the victims, as he leaves Cardiff Magistrates Court Neil Lewis is seen arriving at Cardiff Magistrates Court today. He has admitted wrongly passing the MOT of an unsafe car Rafel Jeanne, 24, is pictured. He had been driving the car and died following the crash in Cardiff Prosecutor Francesca Parry said the Volkswagen had previously been involved in a crash in Scotland in 2021. It suffered damage to its nearside wing, the airbags had deployed, and the airbag and seatbelt warning lights were on. But it was sold to a salvage company in Cardiff - and no work was carried out on the vehicle before it was sold at auction to a friend of Rafel Jeanne. The Volkswagen failed an MOT on February 9, 2023, Ms Parry said. There was an issue with the seatbelts and the light indicating a fault with either the seatbelt or the airbag. Lewis subsequently conducted a re-test and passed the Volkswagen with some advisories. Officers found messages on Lewis' phone to the owner of the car saying: 'You've got to sort the seatbelt and the airbag light. Miss Parry said the seatbelts in the car had not been replaced since the car crashed in Scotland. Eve Smith, 21, was also killed. She was inside the Volkswagen when the vehicle veered off the road and into a wooded area Darcy Ross, 21, was the third person killed in the crash. Her mother confronted Lewis after leaving court Shane Loughlin, 32, was eventually found alive but trapped in the wrecked vehicle two days later Sophie Russon, 20, was also found alive in the vehicle. Lewis pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and will be sentenced on August 19 She told the court that Lewis had authorised for the car to pass the MOT despite knowing about the issues.  He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and will be sentenced on August 19. Before the hearing, Darcy's family said in a statement: 'We lost our loved one, Miss Darcy Ross, following a road traffic collision on March 4, 2023. Two other families lost loved ones in this collision. 'We understand that Mr Neil Lewis has been charged with fraud following an investigation conducted by South Wales Police into the collision. 'We do not wish to prejudice the outcome of these criminal proceedings. We are therefore limited in what we can say at this stage. 'We want justice for Darcy. We want the truth to come out about what caused her injuries and death. We want anyone who caused or contributed to her death to be held accountable.' The five passengers in the vehicle had been to the Muffler social club in Maesglas, Newport, and travelled 40 miles onto the seaside spot of Trecco Bay in Porthcawl.  The last reported sighting of them was in Cardiff shortly after 2am on Saturday. A court previously heard they had been drinking alcohol and inhaling laughing gas prior to the crash. Their families raised the alarm after they failed to come home from a night out. Six police officers were charged with misconduct allegations in connection with the investigation - after they were accused of failing to act - but two have been cleared following an internal hearing.