A man who had taken heroin before driving his car and who killed a cyclist when he lost control of the vehicle has been jailed for seven years three months.
Christopher Jewkes, aged 35, had pleaded guilty last month to causing the death through careless driving while under the influence of drugs of cyclist Nicholas Highfield, 41.
Nottinghamshire Police say that Jewkes had taken £5 worth of the drug before getting into his 4×4 car on 21 August 2014, the day before Mr Highfield’s 42nd birthday.
Witnesses described how Jewkes, who was also on prescription medicine, lost control of the vehicle and mounted the kerb before striking Mr Highfield who was cycling in the opposite direction on the A60 Leeming Lane South in Mansfield.
Police breathalysed Jewkes for alcohol at the scene, with the motorist returning a negative result, but the officer suspected he had taken drugs and carried out a preliminary Field Impairment Test (FIT), which the motorist failed.
Jewkes, formerly of Selston, was sentenced yesterday at Nottingham Crown Court and has also been banned from driving for 10 years.
Detective Sergeant James Greely said: “We welcome the sentence handed to Jewkes today and hope that it can give at least some closure to Nicholas’ family.
“We now test for drug use in drivers at the side of the road on a regular basis and in particular, following road traffic collisions.
“There may have been a perception in the past that it’s alcohol which makes driving dangerous but as today’s sentence and the tragic events that led to it prove, taking drugs and getting behind the wheel can be deadly,” he added.
The victim’s mother, Frances Highfield, said her son’s death had caused “an excruciating pain in my heart” and had left “a gap in our family.”
She added: “Nick had lunch with us every day and when he left he would always give me a bear hug and say ‘I love you mum’. I enjoyed our jokes, his humour. He will never say that again, he will never hug me again.
“The person driving that car took that away from me and I will never forgive that ever.
“They say it gets easier but it’s not true, it gets harder. I miss him so very much.”
Nottinghamshire Police last year bought roadside drug testing kits with the help of a £20,000 grant that the Department for Transport gave to police forces across the country.
Since last November, the force says it has tested 35 people, 19 of whom were found to be positive.
12 thoughts on “Seven years in jail for driver who killed cyclist after taking heroin”
Such a sad story, but perhaps
Such a sad story, but perhaps hope that drug drivers will be caught and convicted.
If only the justice system would hand out similarly weighted sentences against other drivers who kill innocent people.
WillRod wrote:
Yes indeed and for once, the sentence seems appropriate. On my commute I pass about two vehicles/day on average where the driver is smoking cannabis at the wheel.
OldRidgeback wrote:
if you aren’t from Amsterdam…. we all ought to be worried!
WillRod wrote:
This is in London and yes, you should be worried.
OldRidgeback wrote:
Wow! Two? Is that all? Mind you, I do commute in Bristol… 🙂
I smell cannabis from passing
I smell cannabis from passing cars 2 or 3 times a month, it’s quite worrying
.
I often pass cars that have a
I often pass cars that have a distinctive smell, too. To be honest, I’m more concerned with the number of drivers using phones. I’m sure the phone distraction affects their performance more than the cannabis users and there’s a lot more of them.
Cannabis drivers are probably
Cannabis drivers are probably paranoid and super careful..
Eyeball them a bit and they’ll think you’re an undercover cop
Wimbledon to Canary Wharf, no
Wimbledon to Canary Wharf, no kidding, probably 2 or 3 each way, each day. Bin lorries, they’re the worst, the crews must be absolutely spanked. Understandable, given the smell, but… Glasgow?…
Not every day, but I also
Not every day, but I also regularly smell cannabis from passing cars or cars in queues.
Hell, I saw ash from a joint being flicked out of the window the other day. Though, that was the passenger side. Who knows though if it gets passed over and – regardless – there can be passive smoking effects.
The real problem on the roads is all those bloody cyclists though, of course!!!
I’ve had the
I’ve had the <sarcasm>pleasure</sarcasm> of living in both Croydon and Manchester in the past few years. On the West End-Croydon commute I’d estimate the stink of skunk from at least ten cars per day, each way. That is NOT an exaggeration. From Chorley/Leigh to Manchester, once you hit Little Hulton, you get a contact high all along the A6. It’s a massive, massive problem – because having been in cars where mates have driven whilst on the gear, I can state with an alarming degree of certainty that there is definite impairment of driving ability.
So a human life, when taken
So a human life, when taken by a car, is only worth 7 years in jail?
I suppose its better than nothing.