Van driver who downed six pints and sniffed a line of cocaine asked police if victim was dead

A van driver who killed a mum-of-two after downing six pints and sniffing a line of cocaine asked police officers if his victim was alive as he sat in the back of a police van.

Ashley Dean, 40, killed friend Lisa Birtwistle, 32, after driving at 57mph in a 30mph zone, before losing control and hitting a lamppost in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.

He had downed six pints of Peroni and sniffed a line of cocaine ‘to sober him up’ before getting behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Vivaro van.

As Ms Birtwistle lay dying on the road he then rang his wife and disposed of three bags of cocaine instead of helping her, a court heard.

A passing motorist stopped to help the mum, calling 999 and administering CPR until the paramedics arrived.

After being arrested, footage from Lancashire Police shows Dean in the back of the van being asked to blow into a breathalyser after the crash.

But before he does, Dean, a dad, turns to the officers and says: "At least tell me if she's alive."

Ms Birtwistle died at Blackpool Victoria Hospital later that night.

Dean, of Argyll Road, Poulton-le-Fylde, has been jailed for nine years and five months after he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing death while driving without insurance.

Sentencing, Judge Ian Unsworth said: “You did nothing to help her.”

"Your thoughts weren’t for Lisa but for your own self preservation. You unclipped your seatbelt and got out of the vehicle. If you looked at her it must have been momentary."

Preston Crown Court heard how, on 23 March, Dean had parked at the Castle Gardens pub on Poulton Road shortly after 4pm.

He had arranged to get a lift home from his wife, he said.

Ms Birtwistle was already in the pub with her friend Danielle Eastwood, and the pair planned to stay until 7pm.

But Ms Birtwistle called her parents and asked them to put her children to bed, so they could stay out a little longer.

Witnesses said Dean was “drunk, intoxicated and giddy", and as Ms Eastwood left the pub at 8pm, she told Ms Birtwistle: “Don’t get in the van with him if he drives.”

CCTV showed Dean leaving the pub at 8:40pm to pick up three bags of cocaine.

Ms Birtwistle left at 8:42pm to head home, but as she crossed the car park she encountered Dean returning to the pub and was persuaded to go back for another drink.

At 10:15pm, Dean left the pub and got in his van with Ms Birtwistle in the passenger seat.

As he drove down Blackpool Road - doing 45mph to 50mph in a 30mph zone - he lost control of the van on a sweeping left hand bend.

The van spun 180 degrees and collided with a stone gatepost, resting on two wheels with the other wheels in the air.

Lisa was thrown from the vehicle and into the road where she lay fatally injured.

Judge Unsworth told Dean: "The occupant of a passing vehicle stopped. He parked his vehicle in the middle of the road and put his hazard warning lights on. He saw Lisa on the floor and went to try to help her.

“He saw you standing by the rear of the van. When he asked you what had happened, you said you didn’t know. You dishonestly told one of his friends you had had ‘a couple of drinks’.

“He stayed with Lisa. He checked her pulse and followed the direction of the emergency operator.

"He stayed with her and did everything he possibly could to help her. You did nothing to help her.”

Andrew Scott, mitigating, said Dean has no previous convictions and is highly thought of as a husband, father, colleague, and friend.

He said Dean immediately accepted he was to blame for the tragic incident, and told a probation officer: “There is no one to blame but me.”

He said testimonials handed to the judge spoke of Dean in a different light and "separated the man from the deed". Mr Scott said: "He readily accepts the punishment he will receive."

Victim impact statements from Ms Birtwistle's parents, Elaine and Jim Birtwistle, told of the agony they have endured as a result of the death of their beloved daughter.

They spoke of the impact on Lisa’s children who will now face a future without their mum.

Judge Unsworth said: “You knew you were driving excessively, and you knew it was you, and you alone, that caused Lisa’s death by dangerous driving.”

He sentenced Dean to nine years and four months, with nine months to run concurrently for driving without insurance.

He also banned him from driving for 14 years and five months and ordered him to sit an extended retest if he wants to get behind the wheel again.