Michael Ronner

Introduction

Michael Ronner is a motorist from Kingswood, England, who was jailed for eight months at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday November 5, 2026, for driving while disqualified and without insurance. The 40-year-old received the sentence weeks after being caught driving during a suspended six-month prison term imposed in June 2026 for causing the death of his passenger, Tyler Carley, in a collision on the A4174 in Mangotsfield. Alongside the eight-month sentence, Ronner was disqualified from driving for 31 months. Avon and Somerset Police published the case as an example of its zero tolerance approach to taking action against those who should not be driving.

Background Information

The fatal collision happened on the A4174 in Mangotsfield in December 2023 and led to the death of Tyler Carley, Ronner’s passenger, a much-loved family member from Thornbury. In June 2026, Ronner, who had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, was handed a suspended six-month prison sentence for the collision and was disqualified from driving for 18 months. By the time of the new sentence, PC Martin Higgins, the family liaison officer for Tyler’s family, said it was thirty-five months since Ronner had caused Tyler’s death due to the manner of his driving.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted and sentenced. Ronner pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates’ Court in August 2026 to driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance, and on Thursday November 5, 2026, Bristol Crown Court sentenced him to eight months in prison and disqualified him from driving for 31 months. The conviction followed a stop about a month after he received the suspended sentence for causing Tyler Carley’s death.

A month after the June sentencing, Ronner was spotted driving in Mangotsfield by an officer from the Avon and Somerset Roads Policing Unit who had attended the fatal collision in December 2023. At the stop he told the officer that his disqualification had been “harsh”, and he was reported for driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance; his vehicle was also seized. PC Dan Hamblin, the attending officer, said: “Having attended that awful collision in 2023, I was very aware that he had recently been banned from driving. To see him behind the wheel of a car just a few weeks later was beyond frustrating.” He added: “To then hear him describe his disqualification from driving as ‘harsh’ shows a complete lack of understanding of the impact of his decisions and a lack of appreciation for the responsibilities he has when behind the wheel.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

PC Higgins said Tyler’s family had endured not only the loss of a much-loved family member but also Ronner’s “reluctance to take responsibility for his actions until the last minute and showing no remorse”. “It is apparent that he had scant disregard for the judicial system having been caught driving whilst disqualified, only a matter of weeks after being sentenced for causing the death of Tyler,” he said, adding that the sentence would hopefully allow Ronner time to reflect on the devastation his actions caused. Higgins thanked the family for the fortitude and dignity they displayed over three years of numerous trips to court, and remembered Cameron Williams, “who was with Tyler on the day he died, and is no longer with us”. Hamblin said he hoped the case demonstrated the force’s commitment to making roads safer for everyone.

Current Status

Ronner is serving an eight-month prison sentence imposed at Bristol Crown Court on November 5, 2026, and is disqualified from driving for 31 months. His record now holds the conviction for causing death by careless driving, with its suspended six-month sentence and 18-month disqualification, together with the newer convictions for driving whilst disqualified and without insurance, to which he pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court in August 2026.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Within a month of a suspended sentence for causing a passenger’s death, Ronner was back behind the wheel, and he told the officer who had attended the fatal collision that the ban imposed for it was “harsh” — an answer the police published as evidence of a complete lack of understanding of the impact of his decisions. The new offending converted a suspended term into an active custodial sentence of eight months and extended his driving disqualification to 31 months, while the family of Tyler Carley watched the second prosecution from the courtroom process they had followed for three years.

Sources

• Avon and Somerset Police, “Man jailed for driving while disqualified weeks after fatal collision sentence,” November 6, 2026 — source