Drink and drug driver who took cocaine before killing much-loved woman in Hampshire is jailed

A drink and drug driver has been jailed for killing a pedestrian in a fatal collision in Portsmouth.

Danny William Conaghan, 34, of Sywell Crescent in Portsmouth, was sentenced on Friday (26 May) following the collision that killed 55-year-old Sharon Randall on Winston Churchill Avenue on 3 August 2021.

The court heard Conaghan was over the drink drive limit and more than eight times the specified limit for drug driving after taking cocaine.

He was also speeding, with forensic collision investigators estimating his speed at the time of the collision was between 40mph and 46mph in the 30mph road.

On 6 March, Conaghan pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court, where he was jailed for six years and nine months. He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years.

Police Sergeant Jonathan Bates, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: "Conaghan selfishly got behind the wheel of a car when he was drunk and on drugs. He did not care that this put other people at risk and proceeded to drive well above the speed limit.

"Mrs Randall was an innocent pedestrian and her family has been devastated by this tragic loss of life. If Conaghan had not been driving that night after drinking and taking drugs then she would still be alive.

"This man will now be behind bars for taking a woman’s life. I hope this sentence sends a clear message to anyone thinking of doing something as reckless as drink or drug driving that it is not worth the risk."

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