UK: Death crash drink driver travelling at 95mph in 30mph zone jailed for 12 years

A drink driver, who killed a woman in a head on collision when he was travelling at 95mph in a 30mph zone, before fleeing the scene, has been jailed for 12 years. Matthew Scrimshaw, 37, was sentenced for death by dangerous driving after visiting a nearby pub with three of his friends, then jumping in his Audi TT RS before crashing in the village of Eastwood in Nottinghamshire on the night of 9 December 2014.

Scrimshaw was also spotted on the wrong side of Mansfield Road when it collided with a Toyota Yaris being driven by Iris Higginson, 67, in the opposite direction at around 10.50pm. Mrs Higginson died at the scene while three passengers in Scrimshaw's car were all injured in the collision, one of them seriously.

He fled the scene, threw away his mobile phone and changed his clothes, but was arrested shortly afterwards. He was found to be over the drink drive limit at 141 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood at the time of the crash. The legal limit is 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.

CCTV cameras in a nearby village, and analysis of the scene revealed that the Audi TT had been travelling as quickly as 95mph in a 30mph limit. Also aggravating the crime, the vehicle was seen to be on the wrong side of the road in the seconds before the collision.

Scrimsham of Halls Lane, Newthorpe, had denied the charge as well as other charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving while above the legal alcohol limit, failing to stop at the scene of a collision and failing to report the incident.

But blood found on the driver's airbag, seat and steering wheel was found to contain DNA matching that of Scrimshaw. As well as being sentenced for death by dangerous driving, he was also sentenced to two and a half years in prison for causing serious injury by dangerous driving to a passenger in his car, which will concurrently.

In addition, he has also been banned from driving for 15 years. Detective Sergeant James Greely, of the EMOpSS Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Scrimshaw's complete disregard for the safety of other road users extended even to his friends, one of whom suffered very serious injuries and was lucky to survive.

"He showed utter contempt not just for the law, but for everyone else who was affected by this devastating collision, which could have potentially resulted in more deaths. He fled the scene and left his friends and the victim behind, so determined was he to cover up his crime."