Motorist jailed for causing girlfriend's death by careless driving
A grieving father said he forgave the man jailed for causing his daughter's death because that is what she would have wanted.
Benjamin Hughes, 24, of Nottingham Road, Lowdham, was driving a Peugeot Motorvan which left the road and collided with a tree on the A612 Nottingham Road, near Southwell, at 12.10am on October 30.
His girlfriend, Miss Dominique Wright, 23, described by Hughes as the "love of his life" was the front passenger seat and died.
Hughes, who was found to be one-and-three-quarters over the legal blood alcohol limit for driving, was jailed for two years at Nottingham Crown Court today.
The former Southwell Rugby Club player, who sobbed in the dock, will serve one year behind bars and the second in the community on licence on the instruction of the sentencing judge.
He was also banned from the roads for four years.
The families of Hughes and of Miss Wright were sat in the public gallery.
Miss Wright's father David said after Hughes' was sentenced: "Dom would have wanted us to forgive him."
Prosecutor Mr David Allan told the court Hughes had been in a relationship with Miss Wright, of Nettleham, Lincolnshire, for two months.
Hughes was a self-employed plumber and was driving the van he used for work on the day leading up to the crash.
He played rugby for Southwell against Newark and had a drink after the game, Mr Allan said.
Hughes drove back to Southwell Rugby Club, had another beer there and made arrangements to meet Miss Wright to go out in Southwell.
Miss Wright took a train to Newark, but could not get to Southwell, so Hughes picked her up and drove her there, where they joined up with a group.
The group went to the Hearty Goodfellow and the Admiral Rodney and about six rounds of drinks had been ordered in total, Mr Allan said.
"How many of those drinks he had we can't be sure," said Mr Allan.
Missed the last bus
Hughes left the pub at 10.51pm and later told police in interview he had intended for he and Miss Wright to catch the last bus home to Lowdham.
They missed the last bus and Hughes contacted his mother to ask for a lift.
Security footage showed Hughes and his girlfriend leaving the carpark in the van at around 11.15pm, Mr Allan said.
After around 45 minutes, which was unaccounted for, Hughes was travelling through Thurgarton at around 12.15am.
He failed to negotiate a right-hand bend and the nearside front wheel of the van came off the road and onto the grass verge.
Hughes was unable to correct his steering, the van entered a ditch and then hit a tree, Mr Allan said.
'Love of his life'
Hughes suffered minor injuries but Miss Wright suffered crushing injuries, mainly to her neck, which were likely to have killed her instantly.
Hughes flagged down passing motorists for help and told one he had killed the "love of his life" before he was eventually taken away by the police.
Following a forensic examination of a blood sample given by Hughes, it was deemed he had at least 141 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80mg.
A full forensic investigation was carried out into the crash but it couldn’t be determined how fast Hughes had been driving prior to the collision.
Hughes pleaded guilty to charges of causing death by careless driving and drink-driving.
Defending, Mr Martin Elwick said Hughes had taken a fateful and tragic decision to drive Miss Wright home.
He said Hughes was of exceptional character and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
He said the case has had devastating consequences for everybody - especially Miss Wright.
'Desperately sad case'
Sentencing Hughes, Judge John Burgess said it was a desperately sad case for all involved.
He said: "A young woman lost her life.
"Her family lost a beloved daughter and sister.
"The defendant lost a girlfriend whom he loved.
"This is not just a tragic case, it is a most unusual case because Dominique's family have not only forgiven you, Benjamin Hughes, they support you and they do not want to lose you.
"I am well aware that no sentence that I pass can punish more than you have already suffered.
"I am painfully aware of your remorse, your sorrow and your own grief.
"No court could could inflict a punishment as great as that."
Dominque's father David said after Hughes was sentenced: "It was easy really [to forgive Benjamin] from the first moment the accident happened.
"We know Ben and Dom loved each other from the way they treated each other.
"It was a question of supporting each other because he's feeling the pain as much as we are."
Speaking of losing his daughter, he said: "It's the kind of thing you don't wish on anybody else.
"We have got another daughter as well, which gives us something else to focus on. She is coping remarkably well."
Mr Wright said he and his wife, Angela, saw Benjamin as their son.
He said they would have preferred to see Hughes given a suspended jail term.
Mr Wright said Hughes and his daughter had loved each other and might one day have married.
"Dominique was gorgeous, good-looking vivacious and full of life," he said.
"She made a massive impact on a lot of people in a short space of time.
"Dom would have wanted us to forgive him. She loved him and we loved her."
Speaking after Hughes' sentencing Detective Sergeant Adam Cooper, from Nottinghamshire Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Hughes undoubtedly cared a lot for his girlfriend, Dominique Wright, and it is clear that she would be one of the last people he would want to hurt.
"On October 30, after drinking a considerable amount of alcohol in the hours beforehand, he made the reckless decision to get behind the wheel to drive Dominique the relatively short distance home, a journey which came to a sudden and devastating conclusion.
"Hughes underestimated the effects of alcohol on his driving. He lost control of his vehicle, causing it to leave the road and caused Dominique to suffer fatal injuries.
"Nothing can bring back Dominique to her family and Hughes will have to live with the knowledge that he is responsible for her death.
"This is a truly tragic case and highlights the huge potential for drink and drug driving to have horrific consequences on those closest to us.
"Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is never acceptable and if you suspect someone is about to do so we would encourage you to ask them to stop. You should also report this to the police by calling 101 or 999 if there’s an immediate threat to life of property.
"Putting pressure on those who drive while under the influence could avoid putting other people in danger.
"Drink and drug-drivers will not be tolerated on Nottinghamshire's roads and our officers continue to work all year round to tackle the issue."
