Woman died in Suffolk crash after drink-driver hit her on wrong side of the road

Jennifer Baker was killed in a crash caused by Robert Lowe. Credit: Family photo
Jennifer Baker was killed in the crash in October 2020. Credit: Family photo

A drink-driver who killed a woman in a crash while driving on the wrong side of the road and more than twice the limit has been jailed.

Robert Lowe, 43, caused a crash in Barham in Suffolk in which 32-year-old Jennifer Baker died in October 2020.

He was jailed for six years and eight months, and banned from driving for six years and 10 months, at Ipswich Crown Court, after admitting causing death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Lowe, of Peregrine Close in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, was found to have 161 milligrams of alcohol per 100mls of blood after the Norwich Road crash on 23 October 2020. The legal limit for driving is 80mgs per 100ml.

Suffolk Police said Lowe's Seat Altea was on the wrong side of the road when it crashed into Miss Baker's VW Polo coming in the opposite direction. She died at the scene and her passenger was left with serious injuries.

CCTV evidence showed that before the collision, Lowe had been drinking at both the Greyhound pub in Claydon and the Sorrel Horse in Barham, and had also purchased alcohol from a shop that afternoon.

Det Insp David McCormack said: "This is a tragic incident in which a young woman has lost her life because of a completely preventable collision.

"This was wholly avoidable. The message is clear: do not drink and drive.

“The consequences for victims and their families and friends are horrific.

“Mr Lowe will have to live the rest of his life in the knowledge he has taken the life of young woman with everything ahead of her, and aware of the pain this has caused so many other people."

He added: “I implore anyone who thinks it is okay to have a drink and then drive, please think of the potential consequences. It’s simply not worth the risk.

“If caught drink driving you could lose your license and receive a criminal record. At worst driving while under the influence of alcohol can and does lead to serious collisions, leading to life-changing injuries, and in this case, tragic, avoidable deaths."