JAILED: Speeding driver branded 'coward' after crash which killed woman out walking with fiance
A speeding driver branded a 'coward' by a judge has been jailed after he lost control of his car in a crash which led to the death of a woman.
Stephanie Grainger, aged 48, from Cheslyn Hay, was out walking with her fiance in Lichfield when the crash happened.
Harry King was driving his Vauxhall Astra SRI along Beacon Street towards Stafford Road at 10.30pm on August 12 last year.
As the couple walked along the pavement, King’s Astra lost control on a mini-roundabout.
The car mounted the pavement and struck a road sign before hitting them.
The pair were out walking following an evening out in the city centre.
Following the crash, Miss Grainger was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham, but she died four days later.
Her fiance suffered minor injuries.
Miss Grainger, who was manager at Springfield House care home, in Codsall, was described as 'bubbly and charismatic' by colleagues.
King, 21, from Lichfield, was given four years and nine months in jail over her death.
He was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court by Judge Jonathan Gosling after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
He was disqualified from driving for six and a half years with a condition to pass an extended re-test.
Police said he ran off from the scene of the crash, before being traced later the following morning and arrested.
A blood sample obtained from King showed that he had trace amounts of cannabis in his system, suggesting prior use, say Staffordshire Police.
Judge Gosling said King’s failure to remain at the scene had been an ‘act of cowardice'.
An investigation by the Regional Collision Investigation Unit of the Central Motorway Police Group identified that King’s Astra had been travelling at 57mph in the short distance between a local pub and the collision scene.
The evidence of witnesses who saw his car drive past them at high speed also helped to convict King.
Sergeant Richard Moors of the Regional Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Harry King drove at nearly twice the speed limit, in an area where there were vulnerable road users, having previously taken cannabis.
"This meant that as he attempted to negotiate the mini-roundabout he lost control and collided with Stephanie and her partner.
“Sadly the outcome of his actions has affected many people close to Stephanie.
"Nothing will ever change the events of that night but I hope that today’s sentence sends a clear message to drivers that inappropriate speed and irresponsible driving can result in devastating consequences.
"I would urge people to think carefully before they drive in such a manner.”
