Drunk driver jailed in 'worst case of dangerous driving' after killing man

A drunk van driver has been jailed for nine years after killing a man in what a judge has described as 'the worst case of dangerous driving' he had seen.

Adam Kershaw, was almost three times over the limit, when he lost control of the 7.5 tonne van he was driving and 'effectively drove over' a car near Ingleton in North Yorkshire.

The passenger of the car, Joseph Keane suffered fatal head injuries in the incident which happened on his 28th birthday.

Kershaw had been seen swerving across the road into the path of oncomingvehicles, hitting a stone bridge and narrowly avoiding a collision with a coachcontaining 60 schoolchildren during his journey.

He was travelling from his home in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, to theBeat-Herder Festival in Sawley, Lancashire, on July 13 2018 after spending the previous night drinking and taking ketamine with friends.

He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at a previous hearing and was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court.

Sentencing Kershaw, judge Jonathan Rose told him: "I find this case to be the worst case of dangerous driving it has been my misfortune to come across.

Over a distance of at least 28 miles your driving was utterly dreadful,appalling and highly dangerous to every other road user who had the misfortune to be on the same road as you.

You were drunk. You were incapable of controlling this very large, very heavy vehicle.

You had no reason to be driving as you did. It was all done because you were in drink."

The 29 year old did not have a licence to drive the van, which he had converted into an "unsafe" camper van with no restraints for the driver or rear passengers, and his insurance was not valid.

Imran Khan, mitigating for father-of-two Kershaw, said the defendant was"disgusted" about what he had done and had stopped both driving and drinking since the collision.

He read a letter from Kershaw, expressing his "deepest apologies" to thefamily.

Kershaw was also banned from driving for 11-and-a-half years and was told he will have to pass an extended driving test before he can drive again.

The court heard that he had previous convictions for drink-driving andspeeding.