Drug-driver jailed for causing death of woman, 89, in Nottingham
The court heard Mrs Raynor had left her house to buy vegetables for an upcoming family meal, while Middleton was driving to pick up her son.
Video footage was displayed in court of Middleton's Audi in the minutes before the crash, which showed an undertake described by the prosecution as "aggressive and inappropriate driving".Although the pedestrian light was red when Mrs Raynor was crossing, the court heard Middleton had been driving at about 44mph when her brake lights were activated.Prosecutor Nicholas Bleaney said: "It is not part of this case that the lady was unfit to drive, the key feature was speed."Mrs Raynor's son Michael Raynor told the court in a victim impact statement that his mum's life was "needlessly taken"."The reckless and irresponsible actions of the driver has robbed me of my mum, shattered my family and left a gaping hole in the lives of all who knew her," he said.The court heard Mrs Raynor had had 13 children in total, including an abandoned baby who she had taken in, and was a great-great-grandmother.Mrs Raynor's daughter Melanie Frearson described her mother as "a pillar of the family and community"."As well as this, she was the strongest person we knew. She was our iron lady," she added.Ms Frearson said the memory of her mother's last breath "still haunts" her, and added "the hurt and pain is still unbearable today as it was on the day she died".
'Grossly inappropriate' speed
In mitigation, the court heard Middleton, of Nelson Road in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, "acknowledged the devastation she has caused, not only to the Raynor family, but her own"."She wishes she could undo the harm," her defence counsel Simon Eckersley said.Mr Eckersley said when Middleton approached the junction, her light was green, but said "plainly, she was going too fast".She was found to have an excess of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in her system when the crash happened.Judge Steven Coupland said: "I accept you did not set out to cause a collision but the reality is you should not have been driving.He said Middleton "chose to drive in an aggressive way at a speed that was grossly inappropriate" for that particular street."Had you been driving within the speed limit the collision may not have happened at all," he added.Judge Coupland also disqualified Middleton from driving for four years, noting her previous lack of custodial sentences and clean driving record.
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