Drunk dad kills young woman in 100mph race through Leeds | UK news

A drunken man drove at 100mph through a 30mph zone in a city center with his young daughter in the car and killed a 22-year-old woman.

Jonathon Hopkinson, 35, sped through Leeds on June 18, 2022 and crashed into Alice Birchall’s car as she drove home from work.

She was allowed to leave work 15 minutes early, but died of her injuries two days later in hospital.

A man helped him get Hopkinson, his daughter and Alice out of her car.

Prosecutor Michael Smith told Leeds Crown Court that just months later, in October 2022, Hopkinson was again caught speeding – this time at 34mph in a 30mph zone.

Mitigating, Alistair Webster described Hopkinson as a “decent man” and said: “He is a decent man who has to pay for an act that was deeply out of character.

“Nothing I say, nothing will be seen as detracting from the dire consequences of Jonathon Hopkinson’s leadership.

“He read the victim’s personal statements before coming to court. Now he heard them. They were moving and it took from the two ladies involved a degree of courage that should be recognized.

“It can be hard to take for granted that he is a decent man. So those statements were very hard for him and he understands that nothing he can say in terms of deep remorse or apology for what he did. It is something that will never leave him.

Anna Duffy, who was a witness, gave evidence and said: “I felt safe in the car with him.

“This affected him deeply. He doesn’t remember the accident and can’t understand why he would drive like that, especially with (his daughter) in the car. It’s amazing.

The judge jailed Hopkinson for eight years and made him subject to a 12-year driving disqualification, at the end of which he will be required to take an extended retest.

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