Vikki Jones: Callous killer driver gets six years after leaving mother for dead
A ‘callous’ driver who killed a young mother when he ploughed into her car as he showed off to party-goers has been jailed for six years.
Tyler Kendall hit Vikki Jones’ Alfa Romeo after turning Dudley into his own ‘make-believe race track’, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
The 22-year-old fled the crash and left Ms Jones to die after flouting 30mph limits, reaching speeds of 75mph.
Her then 11-year-old daughter and front seat passenger Talia suffered a fractured arm.
'Generous and willing'
In a statement read to the court, Jane Jones revealed how she suffered a heart attack following her ‘beautiful’ daughter’s death.
Paying tribute to the 30-year-old single mother, she said: “She was always the one to be there in times of crisis and was always generous and willing to help.
"As a family, were were incredibly close, we did everything together.
"No parent should ever have to stand at the funeral of their child."
High-speed driving
Kendall had been drinking at a party he and his brother held at their Lower Gornal home in Whitebeam Close, on September 22 last year, when he got into his BMW with two of his sibling’s friends at 10.30pm.
He drove two high-speed circuit laps across Lower Gornal, zooming along Ellowes Road, Stickley Lane and Wood Road.
The electrician flouted 30mph limits, reaching speeds of at least 75mph at times, driving into the opposite carriageway and swerving to avoid collisions.
But his car hurtled into the driver's side of Ms Jones' Alfa Romeo as she turned right into Wood Road, at its junction with Wood Avenue.
The impact forced the Alfa Romeo to spin, striking a Mercedes parked in the road, while the BMW ended up 40 metres away after colliding with a Mitsubishi.
No blame for Vikki
Prosecutor Mr Robert Price said: "Ms Jones could not hace made any provision for a car being driven at such speeds towards her.
"No blame whatsoever can be attributed to Ms Jones for the accident. It's highly unlikely that she would have been aware of the true speed of the BMW.
"It was a high-speed impact, with any braking [by Kendall] at the 11th hour and far too late to avoid any collision."
Ms Jones, who worked at the check-in desks at Birmingham Airport, died at the scene.
Previous
The court heard Kendall was previously fined £120 and handed five penalty points after leaving two schoolgirls with a fractured pelvis and ankle bone after driving without due care and attention in Dudley in 2014.
Kendall, who was handed an eight-year driving ban, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident.
Sentencing, Judge Michael Challinor told Kendall he had disregarded what should have been a wake-up call and had been 'showing off' on the night Ms Jones died.
The judge added: “You deliberately drove at high speed around a make-believe race track, which was in fact a residential area subject to a 30mph speed limit.
“Your failure to stop showed a callous disregard for Vikki Jones and her daughter.”
Defence barrister Mr Andrew Turner said Kendall, who has suffered with depression, 'blames no one but himself' for the tragedy.
'Cowardly'
Sergeant Alan Wood, from the Collision Investigation Unit at West Midlands Police, described Kendall's behaviour as 'an accident waiting to happen.'
"There was a prolonged period in the build up to the crash where Kendall was driving at motorway speeds; and far too dangerous for residential streets," he added.
"Rather than see if he could do anything to help Vikki Jones and her daughter he ran from the scene in a coward's act before his conscience finally got the better of him and he called police hours later.
"Our thoughts remain with Vikki's family and we only hope this custodial sentence will give them some comfort during what has been a terribly distressing time."
