Drink driver who killed girlfriend jailed

A motorist whose dangerous driving resulted in the death of his girlfriend has been jailed.
Benjamin Hughes.Benjamin Hughes.
Benjamin Hughes.

Benjamin Hughes, 24, 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, 2016. No other vehicles were involved.

The front seat passenger, 23-year-old Dominique Wright, died at the scene.

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Nottingham Crown Court heard on Friday, September 22, that when a police officer arrived at the scene he could smell alcohol on Hughes who then failed a breath test before being arrested.

Nottingham Crown CourtNottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court

Following a forensic examination of a blood sample given by Hughes, it was deemed that Hughes would have had no less than 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.

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Nottingham Crown CourtNottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court

Hughes, of Nottingham Road, Lowdham, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and driving with alcohol over the prescribed limit.

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He was jailed for two years and banned from driving for four years.

At the time of Dominique’s death, her mum Angela Wright said she would remember her as “perfect” and a “princess”.

Speaking after his 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, 2016, 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.

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“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.

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“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.”

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