A drunk driver reached 69mph in a 30 zone before crashing into and killing a pub landlady after an England 2022 World Cup match.
Jacob King, 29, was twice over the limit and speeding in his BMW 3 series when he struck grandmother 52-year-old Teresa Grimes.
The pub landlady was crossing the road to buy chips after the big game – which saw Harry Kane miss a late penalty in the loss to France – when on reaching the pavement she was hit by King who ‘lost control’ of his car.
WHAT INVESTIGATION REVEALS
The driver had drunk six cans of lager and five glasses of rum and coke before getting behind the wheel.
Mrs Grimes’ daughter has since condemned his ‘reckless’ behaviour for causing a ‘ripple of devastation’ upon hundreds of lives.
King has now been sentenced to six years in jail after a Crown Court judge questioned the ‘inexplicable’ decision he made to drive his car that night.
COURT HEARD
Southampton Crown Court heard Mrs Grimes finished her shift at the West End Brewery in the port city at 10pm.
Siobhan Linsley, prosecuting, said the night of December 10, 2022 was a ‘big evening’ due to the England football game.
At 10.30pm, the 53-year-old mother and grandmother decided to go and get some chips from a takeaway with her two friends, Mrs Winter and Mrs Warman.
‘They did not proceed to activate the traffic lights because the road was clear of traffic,’ the prosecutor said.
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Mrs Grimes’ friends noted hearing ‘loud revving’ noises and recalled seeing headlights at a mini roundabout in the distance.
‘It was unclear between the two women whether Mrs Grimes had began to cross before these headlights,’ Ms Linsley added.
Ms Grimes ‘felt there was plenty of time to cross that road’ and upon reaching the opposite pavement, she turned to face her friends.
‘It was at this point that Mrs Warman heard a loud band, looked to her left, and saw a car just before the junction,’ the prosecutor said.
