A man who killed a young mother in a road crash was jailed for three years.

Joanne Bardell, 31, died following the crash in September last year in Wivenhoe.

Mrs Bardell lived in Denham Close, Wivenhoe, with her husband Stephen and sons, five-year-old Lewis, and Morgan, two.

Neighbour Adrian Mayhew, 37, admitted causing death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol at an earlier hearing.

Chelmsford Crown Court today heard Mayhew, also of Denham Close, had been driving on the wrong side of the road, the B1028 in Wivenhoe, when he collided with Mrs Bardell's car.

Mrs Bardell died later at Colchester General Hospital.

Mayhew was cut from his car and taken to hospital with serious injuries, including a broken back.

He was breathalised four hours later and found to have 109mg of alcohol in 100mls of blood. The legal limit is 80mg.

The court was told that four days before the crash Mayhew had been to his doctors for stress and depression and had been prescribed drugs. It is not known if this would have had an impact on his driving.

His barrister, Thomas Payne, said Mayhew was horrified by his actions, exacerbated by the fact that he knew the woman who died.

After the court case, Mrs Bardell's mother, Sue McAusslane, said she has no feelings for Mayhew.

She said: "The sentence doesn't make any difference. It won't bring Jo back. I only wanted one thing, I wanted him to look at me and say he was sorry, and he didn't."

"It has been a nightmare and it is a nightmare I will have for the rest of my life."

Mrs Bardell's husband, Michael, said: "I have no feelings towards that man whatsoever. Joanne and I were both very anti-drink-drive, there is no excuse to be drinking in the middle of the day, when you have to get into a car to drive home. Jo was loved very much and she knew it.

Judge Alasdair Barroch jailed Mayhew for three years and banned him from driving for four years.

He said: "Through your criminal and irresponsible conduct, you have killed a young woman and caused enormous suffering."

Published Friday, April 25, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette