Six years for killer driver

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THE family of a woman killed by a drink-driver says his six-and-a-half year jail sentence is too lenient.

Patricia Hesser-Young, 63, of Crowsley Way, Sonning Common, died more than three months after suffering multiple injuries in the crash on the M4 in June last year.

Christopher Lockwood, 31, was at least three times over the drink-drive limit when his Ford Focus struck the back of Mrs Hesser-Young’s Land Rover Discovery.

Sentencing him at Reading Crown Court last Friday, Judge Stephen John described Lockwood’s actions as “utterly irresponsible” and said it was “a wholly avoidable accident with dreadful consequences”. Mrs Hesser-Young’s three children, Campbell and Stewart Elder and Stephen Hesser, were in court.

Afterwards, Stewart Elder, 37, from Reading, said the sentence was longer than he had expected but “still not enough”.


“But hopefully it will act as a deterrent to other drivers,” he added.

Mr Elder said the family didn’t believe Lockwood had shown any remorse, adding: “He didn’t offer his condolences — he could have written to us.”

Lockwood, from Stoke-on-Trent, had admitted causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared in court on August 26 and was banned from driving for five years.

On Friday, the court heard the crash happened at 5.35am on June 28 between junction 14 of the motorway and Membury Services as Mrs Hesser-Young was driving to work at the Royal Mail in Swindon.

Lockwood was also on his way to Swindon, where he lived at the time, after partying with friends in Caversham and Reading until 4am.

Katie Tucker, who had been celebrating her 30th birthday, offered Lockwood a place to stay but he turned it down.

The court heard that CCTV cameras recorded Lockwood driving in the middle lane at an average speed of 104mph between junctions 13 and 14. Mrs Hesser-Young, who was in the inside lane, was travelling at about 54mph.

When Lockwood hit her, the Discovery went through a barrier and crashed into a tree at the bottom of an embankment, out of sight from the road.

Charles Ward-Jackson, prosecuting, said: “The defendant got out of the car and other motorists stopped. He looked, according to witness statements, ‘dazed’ and smelt of alcohol. He said, ‘all I remember was a bang and ending up on my roof’.

“He was interviewed and said he had drunk two glasses of wine at lunchtime the previous day. He said that at the party he had drunk two bottles of cider so believed he was under the drink-drive limit. The Crown does not accept that.

“He said he was driving at no more than 70mph to 90mph. The Crown does not accept this.”

Lockwood told witnesses that his car was the only vehicle involved in the accident. It was only when the emergency services arrived that the Discovery was found.

Mrs Hesser-Young, whose injuries included a fractured skull, a broken spine and a brain haemorrhage, never regained consciousness.

She was taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon before being transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for specialist care.

She died on October 4 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Neil Moore, for Lockwood, asked the judge to take into account his client’s “previous good character”, early guilty plea and previously unblemished driving record of 12 years.

He said family and friends described Lockwood as “honest, reliable, trustworthy and loyal”.

Mr Moore continued: “This is completely out of character by those who know him best. It’s very easy for a defendant to say that they’re sorry. Sometimes it’s not easy to determine whether they’re being genuine or not but I say it’s genuine.

“Mr Lockwood made a decision not to drive again. He didn’t make that decision a few weeks or months ago, which would have been a rather transparent effort to show he was sorry. He didn’t make the decision when he was charged or when she died. He made the decision on the very day that the accident happened.

“He’s genuinely sorry for what he has done to the lives of others.”

Addressing Lockwood, Judge John said: “You had the chance of not driving that night and chose not to take it.

“There is no reason to account for the collision except for the fact that you were driving at an excessive speed and you were drunk.

“You have deprived a loving family of their mother and grandmother. She was looking forward to retirement, which could have been a long and happy one. She remained in a constant vegetative state for four months.

“The mitigating features are your plea and your remorse. I accept you are much changed by this tragedy and much subdued.”

Lockwood will have to take an extended driving test before he can re-apply for his driving licence.

Mrs Hesser-Young had lived in Sonning Common for about 35 years.

Campbell Elder said: “My mum was a friend to everybody. She supported charitable organisations, including orphaned children in India who affectionately called her their English mum.

“She was a keen bird-watcher and gardener. You couldn’t get in her garden because there were flowers everywhere.

“She was looking forward to her retirement. She had started to work part-time to spend more time with her family and that had only been instigated a month before the accident so she didn’t get a chance to utilise her time the way she wanted to.”