A drink-driver raced her Jaguar through Moulsecoomb at more than twice the speed limit before losing control and hitting a student waiting at a bus shelter
Emma Roberts, who was more than three times the limit when she crashed her car on the Lewes Road, is now in prison after being jailed for more than two years.
The student, Ahmad Islam, was left with life threatening injuries after being hit by her black Jaguar as it crashed through a bus shelter.
In a victim impact statement read out at Lewes Crown Court last week, he described seeing Roberts’ black Jaguar out of control on the A270, near the junction with Barcombe Road, just before midnight on September 6, 2023.
She was seen swerving in the carriageway.He said the vehicle then swerved towards him leaving him no time to react. A speed camera had caught her travelling at 76mph in the 30mph zone.
He described waking in hospital in “constant agony” after being in a coma and having to undergo multiple surgeries.
His injuries included a fractured skull, a bleed on the brain, a broken spine, and multiple internal injuries.
Members of the public helped the emergency services with the victim and with Roberts who was described as being intoxicated by the roadside.
In custody Roberts tested positive for 121 microgrammes (uhg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of breath. The legal limit is 35uhg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.
Speaking after the case, investigating officer Jade Smith from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This again demonstrates the dangers of drink-driving.
“Roberts was incredibly fortunate that her reckless behaviour did not cause a fatality that night.
“She risked her own safety as well as the safety of the public.
“So we are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads. We are determined to catch dangerous drivers, and this case should act as a warning to others about the dangers of drink driving and driving at excessive speed.”
Last Thursday, October 10, Roberts was sentenced for causing serious injuries by dangerous driving.
She was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and was disqualified for three years and two months.
Roberts, 43, of Church Street, Reigate, earlier pleaded guilty to the charge when she appeared before Brighton Magistrates’ Court a month earlier.
Unduly lenient, should be a minimum of 5 years inside and 10 year ban with conditions about regaining the privilege of drinking IMO.
Standard guidelines are usually about 1-5 years. Mitigating factors will be an early plea, cooperation, likely agreement to a rehab course, no priors, etc. With that in consideration, I’d say it was pretty much the middle of the road for this kind of incident (pardon the pun.)
Life changing injuries to the victim. Fractured skull, brain bleed, broken spine and other multiple and internal injuries. Just saying… light justice!
Remember folks, if you ever want to kill or hurt someone in this country, do it with a motor vehicle and you’ll pretty much get away with it.
Except you won’t. What a truly stupid thing to say.