A 'DANGEROUS' drug driver has been jailed for a crash that tragically killed a man - the impact so loud that it was heard by the victim's wife nearby.

Renisha Sekhon, of Barton Road, Slough, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at Reading Crown Court last November.

On July 26, 2021, Sekhon ran her Volkswagen Golf into a Nissan Micra driven by 77-year-old David Anderson in Parlaunt Road, Langley.

Mr Anderson's granddaughter was also in the car at the time - and prosecuting barrister Brian Reece to the same court on January 15 that, when paramedics arrived on the scene, the victim's first words expressed concern for his passenger.

The collision occurred close to Mr Anderson's home, and his wife testified at trial that she heard the impact from their house.

Tragically, Mr Anderson died within two hours of arriving at hospital. His granddaughter survived the crash, but was hospitalised for days with serious injuries.

Sekhon admitted to being a regular cannabis user - and the court heard the 23 year old tested three times over the drug-driving limit shortly after the crash.

The court also heard how in the run-up to the incident, she was caught on camera driving at 70mph on a 30mph road - although she had slowed to around 40mph at the time of the collision.

Sentencing Sekhon on January 15, Judge Sarah Campbell said the defendant had not been forthcoming with the police about her cannabis use.

She remarked that it had almost certainly impaired Sekhon's judgement on the day, noting she had been driving at "motorway" speed just before the collision, far over the local limit.

Judge Campbell said: "This case demonstrates starkly the risk people take when they consume cannabis and get in a car."

In a statement read to the court by Mr Reece, Mr Anderson's family said: "When you lose someone through pure ignorance, that person takes a life that was not theirs to take."

They spoke not only of their grief, but of the crash's impact on Mr Anderson's granddaughter, who had suffered significant mental and physical trauma.

Adding: "The life we had, and the family we were, no longer exists."

Veronica Ramsden, defending Sekhon, said her client was remorseful, relaying her condolences to her victim's family.

Mrs Ramsden told the court: "She [Sekhon] is not 'sorry' for the pain she has caused. She is so, so, so very sorry for the pain that she has caused."

Summing up, Judge Campbell described Sekhon as an "intelligent young woman," who had received a glowing character reference from her former employer, solar energy firm Evergen.

However, the judge said she had to take into account the grief of Mr Anderson's family, as well as the direct impact on his granddaughter.

She noted that Parliament had recently increased the maximum sentence for death by dangerous driving from 14 years to life imprisonment.

However, Judge Campbell said this would not affect Sekhon's case, as the crash occurred prior to the law change.

In the end, Sekhon received a 10-year jail sentence - half of which was to be served on licence.

https://www.sloughobserver.co.uk/news/24051316.slough-driver-23-jailed-langley-crash-killed-man/

QUOTE: She noted that Parliament had recently increased the maximum sentence for death by dangerous driving from 14 years to life imprisonment. However, Judge Campbell said this would not affect Sekhon's case, as the crash occurred prior to the law change. ENDS

A bloody lucky escape for the convicted driver.