Southampton drunk-driver jailed for over six years for causing death of pedestrian

Jacob King, of Chessel Avenue, Southampton, has been jailed for 80 months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Southampton Crown Court in relation to the crash which killed 53-year-old landlady, Teresa Grimes.

The 29-year-old was more than twice the drink-drive limit when he collided with Ms Grimes on the pavement in West End High Street, near Southampton, on December 10, 2022.

A Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman said: “The court heard King had been drinking beer and rum at a friend’s house that evening while watching the England v France quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup and was supposed to be sleeping there.

“But instead he got behind the wheel of his silver BMW 330i while heavily intoxicated. A breath test following the collision showed a reading of 73 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, more than double the legal limit of 35 micrograms.

“The manner of his driving was also dangerous; CCTV footage showed King driving at extremely excessive speeds, reaching a calculated speed of between 66mph and 72mph in a 30mph zone.

“The court heard Teresa Grimes had finished her shift at the West End Brewery pub before crossing High Street to get a takeaway, but at 10.47pm police were called to the scene of a devastating fatal collision after King crashed into the 53-year-old pedestrian on the pavement.”

Ms Grimes’s family said in a statement: “Getting behind the wheel of a car whilst intoxicated remains truly a selfish act. The utter devastation it causes to families, the aftermath of losing a loved one.

“The punishment needs to be harsh for these crimes, people shouldn’t look lightly on drink-driving. The outcome of today does not change what happened 600 days ago. The heartache continues, the want for her to be here with us hasn’t changed. We still have lost our T. We will always miss T.”

Detective Constable Mark Furse said: “To even consider getting behind the wheel of his car while that intoxicated was an incredibly reckless and selfish act.

“The CCTV images we have seen are absolutely appalling. The speeds reached by Mr King in his BMW were shocking and meant a catastrophic crash like this one was almost inevitable.

“I hope the severity of this sentence sends a strong message to other drivers. There is no excuse at all for getting behind the wheel of any vehicle while impaired through drink or drugs.

“Teresa’s family and friends have been completely devastated by her loss and we know that no prison sentence will change that, but we hope the justice brought today will help them as they try to heal.”

The shocking footage of the moments prior to the crash can be seen in the video embedded in this article.