Driver who sped to 96mph before crash killing two teenagers is jailed

Independent

15 hours ago

A dangerous driver who drove at speeds of up to 96mph while taking sips of lager before crashing into a car containing teenage friends and killing two of them has been jailed for 10 years.
Natasha Allarakhia was 'literally drinking and driving' before she smashed her Audi Q2 into the back of a stationary Ford Fiesta on the A17 Newark Road in North Rauceby, Lincolnshire, on June 20 last year, killing a 17-year-old driver and an 18-year-old passenger who had just finished their A-levels.
Lincoln Crown Court heard the 36-year-old lied to police at the scene for more than an hour about who had been driving while her two young daughters, who had been in the back of her car, were present.
Allarakhia, of Turner Crescent, Norwich, pleaded guilty in June to causing the deaths of William Ray and Eddie Shore by dangerous driving, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving to one of the other two teenage passengers.
On Monday, Judge James House KC handed Allarakhia the custodial sentence, disqualified her from driving for a total of more than 12 years, and said she must take an extended retest before she can drive again, adding that her drinking was not the cause of the collision.
The defendant, who was not recorded as being over the legal alcohol limit at the time of the collision, sobbed in the dock with her head bent forward.
She wore a burgundy dress with her hair in a bun, and at one point cried out 'I'm so sorry' while the teenagers' relatives read victim personal statements to the court.
Mr Shore's mother Kerri Foster said: 'Everybody loved Eddie. He's gone and I'm heartbroken. I yearn for him constantly and remember all the special things about him. He was my baby boy.'
William's mother Sarah Barker said: 'Will was such a caring, conscientious and compassionate person. Will has always been by my side, it's like part of my identity died with Will.'
Prosecutor David Eager told the court that the group of friends had a 'pleasant evening' watching football and that William had not consumed any alcohol before getting behind the wheel, instead showing 'exemplary' driving.
Mr Eager said William had applied the handbrake and footbrake at the temporary traffic lights that evening.
The barrister said: 'He was sat talking to his friends at the lights when behind him this defendant drove her car.
'She was driving at that point, the Crown would say, at 96mph. Not only was she driving at 96mph, she was not paying attention to the road.
'She drove at speed into the back of that vehicle. Even with the tiny amount of braking she did, she hit that vehicle at 70mph.
'At the scene, when spoken to she said she was a passenger in the Audi. She said that the person who was driving was her partner's friend and he had run off. All of this took place in the presence of her two young children.'
The court heard that Allarakhia applied her brakes on the 60mph limit road 37 metres before the collision point, but the temporary traffic lights would have been visible from 620 metres away.
The court heard the defendant, whose partner was also a passenger in the car and was injured in the crash, was described as a 'fast driver who doesn't really concentrate', that she had been drinking earlier that day and took 'sips of lager from a can which she had been drinking from as she drove'.
The cause of death for both teenagers was head injuries, while one of the two teenagers in the back of the car also suffered severe injuries to his hip.
Edward Renvoize, defending Allarakhia, said: 'Her demeanour throughout this case has been one of genuine and deep remorse.
'Ms Allarakhia intends never to get behind the wheel of a car again.'
The court heard she was disqualified from driving in January this year over failing to provide information about two speeding offences in the weeks before and after the fatal crash.
The judge told the defendant: 'They were greatly loved, they are greatly missed. What comes through most of all is the opportunities lost.'