Drunk driver downed six pints and two glasses of wine before killing teen girl

A judge has lamented the "appalling and unnecessary" death of a 19-year-old girl killed by a drink driver who downed six pints and two glasses of wine. 

Waitress Abby Hill was described as an "absolute angel" by her sister who said it was "never your time to go".

Marcus Pasley, 26, was the driver of a Renault Clio which crashed in Berwyn, Denbighshire, shortly before midnight on July 3 last year. Ms Hill was the passenger in the vehicle and suffered catastrophic injuries which caused her untimely death two days later in hospital.

After the crash, Pasley remained at the scene and tried to find help for Ms Hill but the driver had a blood sample taken and was found to be over the drink drive limit with a reading of 93 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The drink drive limit is 80 milligrams.

Pasley and Ms Hill, of Wrexham, had been at the Bridge End Hotel in Llangollen on the night of the crash and the defendant was said to have drunk six pints of strong lager and two glasses of wine. He was told by a friend to "not even think about driving" but he failed to heed this warning with tragic consequences.

A sentencing hearing at Mold Crown Court on Friday heard a victim personal statement from Ms Hill's sister Gemma Hill, which was read out by prosecutor Elen Owen.

'We have to live a lifelong sentence without her'

She said: "On July 3, 2021, all our lives changed for the worst. I felt we had to make a millisecond decision to turn off Abby's life support machine due to Marcus' selfish and irresponsible actions that night which has led to the constant pain of her friends and family.

"Abby was the best of all my friends, we have been close since the day she was born and garnered a bond between us that nobody could ever break. I was protective and defensive over her, I was her big sister and her safety net. The seven years age gap between us meant we never clashed or had any conflict between us.

"She was going to be my maid of honour, godmother to my children and my shoulder to cry on and I have lost this in the blink of an eye because of Marcus who she knew for five minutes. We worked together as full time waitresses but I can't work there anymore, I shared a room with her and had big plans for the future. We dreamed of owning our own restaurant and she wanted to start her own make up business.

"We have to live a lifelong sentence without her. She had everything going for her and had not even passed her driving test and she never had the opportunity to have children."Gemma Hill also spoke the effect her sister's death had on her mother Julie and father Ken as well as her grandmother and friends. She added: "Rest is peace Abby, it was never your time to go."

Pasley, of Llantysilio, Llangollen, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He has no previous convictions. In mitigation, defence barrister Andrew Green said Ms Hill had her "whole life ahead of her". He said Pasley knew he would be going to prison and since the crash his mental health had deteriorated and he had hardly left his home due to depression.

He read a statement from Pasley in which he described his life as a "terrifying nightmare".

He added: "I cannot explain the guilt and remorse I feel about losing Abby and terrible loss to her family. From the bottom of my heart I am desperately sorry for their loss, Abby was the loveliest human being you could wish to meet. I wish I could undo these tragic events and switch places with Abby.

"I struggle to come to terms with what I have done and I will carry this guilt with me for the rest of my life. I wish from the bottom of my heart to go back and act differently. Sometimes it is too much for me to bare and wish I wasn't here but in some other place. I think about what I have done every day."

Sentencing, Judge Nic Parry described Ms Hill's death an an "appalling and unnecessary waste of a wonderful life" of a "loved and adored daughter, granddaughter, sister and friend". He added: "You acted entirely out of character and drove after knowingly consuming at least six pints of particularly strong lager on top of two glasses of wine.

"You were drunk by your own admission and you knew the road, you knew that corner and you drove too fast. The impact upon the family is heartbreaking to hear... You knew your passenger was vulnerable because of drink, you should have checked and insisted she wore a seatbelt

"Those who really suffer are those close to your victim and they will spend the their lives asking the question 'Why? Why was there such a waste of life? The public should and I am sure they will understand that no sentence can nor is intended to reflect the value of an invaluable and treasured life."

Pasley was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment. 

He was also disqualified from driving for a total of three years and eight months.