Driver jailed after woman celebrating 60th birthday killed in Leicester crash

A court in Leicester has sentenced two men over a crash that killed Donna Brighton as she celebrated her 60th birthday. Prosecutor Steven Bailey said the collision resulted from the combined poor driving of Thomas Goulty and Sarwar Mohammad.

Goulty had drunk two lagers and, minutes before the crash, messaged someone saying he was "just out having a couple of beers." A roadside breath test after the crash showed alcohol in his system, though later assessments could not confirm he was over the legal limit. He drove his silver Vauxhall Astra at speeds up to 64mph in a residential 30mph zone, reaching 55mph at the point of impact. Bailey said Goulty had little time to react and braked too late.

Mohammad, 69, of Leicester, was driving a Peugeot Expert Tepee taxi carrying Brighton and a couple who were strangers to her but shared the ride because they were headed the same way, toward a music festival. As Mohammad made a right turn across the central reservation of a dual carriageway, Brighton appeared to be helping him with directions when he became distracted. He had been driving lawfully before slowing for the turn but, crucially, did not come to a full stop, reducing his chance of avoiding the collision.

Brighton was thrown from the taxi through an open window and suffered fatal head and chest injuries. The other two passengers sustained serious injuries, including multiple fractures.

Recorder Jacob Hallam KC told the defendants that Brighton's loved ones continue to bear the cost of her death. Goulty was jailed, disqualified from driving for five years, and must take an extended retest. Mohammad, who admitted the same offences, received a six-month sentence suspended for two years, 100 hours of unpaid work, and a two-year driving ban without an extended retest requirement.