This is the shocking moment a drunk driver reached 69mph in a 30 zone before crashing into and killing a pub landlady after an England 2022 World Cup match.
Jacob King, 29, was twice over the limit and speeding in his BMW 3 series when he struck grandmother 52-year-old Teresa Grimes.
The pub landlady was crossing the road to buy chips after the big game – which saw Harry Kane miss a late penalty in the loss to France – when on reaching the pavement she was hit by King who ‘lost control’ of his car.
The driver had drunk six cans of lager and five glasses of rum and coke before getting behind the wheel. Mrs Grimes’ daughter has sisnce condemned his ‘reckless’ behaviour for causing a ‘ripple of devastation’ upon hundreds of lives.
King has now been sentenced to six years in jail after a Crown Court judge questioned the ‘inexplicable’ decision he made to drive his car that night.
Teresa Grimes, 52, (pictured) was killed by Jacob King in Southampton on December 10, 2022
Jacob King, 29, (pictured) was twice over the limit and speeding in his BMW 3 series when he struck the grandmother
Southampton Crown Court heard Mrs Grimes finished her shift at the West End Brewery in the port city at 10pm.
Siobhan Linsley, prosecuting, said the night of December 10, 2022 was a ‘big evening’ due to the England football game.
At 10.30pm, the 53-year-old mother and grandmother decided to go and get some chips from a takeaway with her two friends, Mrs Winter and Mrs Warman.
‘They did not proceed to activate the traffic lights because the road was clear of traffic,’ the prosecutor said.
Mrs Grimes’ friends noted hearing ‘loud revving’ noises and recalled seeing headlights at a mini roundabout in the distance.
‘It was unclear between the two women whether Mrs Grimes had began to cross before these headlights,’ Ms Linsley added.
Ms Grimes ‘felt there was plenty of time to cross that road’ and upon reaching the opposite pavement, she turned to face her friends.
‘It was at this point that Mrs Warman heard a loud band, looked to her left, and saw a car just before the junction,’ the prosecutor said.
‘It was clear to Mrs Warman that the driver had lost control and was travelling at a very high speed.’
The silver BMW 330i was left in a mangled state after being driven by King
King has now been sentenced to six years in jail after a Crown Court judge questioned the ‘inexplicable’ decision he made to drive his car that night
The prosecutor said the car, a silver BMW 330i, had struck Mrs Grimes in a ‘flash’.
The driver of the vehicle, King, had gone to his friend’s house at 4pm that day to watch the World Cup quarter-finals against France.
It was heard he had drunk six cans of lager and five glasses of rum and coke.
At around 10 o’clock, King ‘indicated that he wanted to go home because he wanted to sleep in his own bed’.
His friend, who was not named in court, offered to order him a taxi or to stay the night.
King fell asleep on his friend’s sofa but upon waking up from his nap, he left the house and got into his car 10:40pm.
The car mechanic lived some three miles away from his friend’s estate and it was heard that he was driving at speeds ‘greatly in excess of the average’.
While travelling along the road near Mrs Grimes’ pub, King had lost control of the BMW which caused him to steer to the left ‘deliberately’ as an ‘evasive manoeuvre’.
But, in doing so he collided with the kerb, and traffic lights and struck Mrs Grimes at 10:45pm.
‘The BMW finally came to a stop following this collision,’ the prosecutor said.
The car which was driven and crashed by King was left in a mangled state
Ms Linsley said the landlady suffered ‘catastrophic injuries’ and died shortly after entering a coma.
At the time of the crash, King was driving at 69 miles per hour in the 30 mile per hour road.
And, the noise of the car revving indicated that he must have been ‘accelerating hard’.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mrs Grimes’ daughter, Jessica Lampard, said: ‘600. That’s how many days it has been since our T was taken away from us.
‘The damage caused by that one split-second action resulted in hundreds of lives being affected and one no longer here.
‘Our mum was everything and more and now we don’t have her with us.
‘She would be the one to always light up the room, told the truth about life, and be the biggest supporter.’
Ms Lampard said that ‘one reckless move’ by King caused a ‘ripple of devastation’ and said since losing her mum she has been ‘consumed by sadness’.
‘Getting behind the wheel whilst intoxicated damages multiple lives,’ she said.
‘I do hope that whatever comes from today, people start taking it more seriously.
Andrew Houston, mitigating, said King has no previous convictions and has had to wait a long time for the sentencing.
‘It is no fault of Jacob King that we are 20 months on from the night that England was knocked out of the World Cup,’ he said.
He said these days indicate ‘just how broken the system is’.
Sentencing the 29 year old, His Honour Judge Nicholas Rowland said: ‘Why you chose to drive in the state you were in and the fashion that you did is inexplicable.
‘You had somewhere to stay that night, you had the option of a taxi.
‘The consequences will remain with you, and those close with you, forever – but it was your choice to drive in the way you did.’
Over 20 friends and family members of Mrs Grimes sat in the public gallery to watch the sentencing today.
‘Teresa Grimes was a vulnerable road user – she was on the pavement when you struck her,’ he added.
‘You have led an otherwise respectful and blameless life… that’s little comfort for everyone affected by these actions.’
In June, King pleaded guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving.
Today, he was sentenced to 80 months in jail and disqualified from driving for the same period.
Following sentencing, Mrs Grimes’ family said: ‘Getting behind the wheel of a car whilst intoxicated remains truly a selfish act.
‘The utter devastation it causes to families, the aftermath of losing a loved one.
‘The punishment needs to be harsh for these crimes, people shouldn’t look lightly on drink driving.
‘The outcome of today does not change what happened 600 days ago.
‘The heartache continues, the want for her to be here with us hasn’t changed.
‘We still have lost our T. We will always miss T.’
Detective Constable Mark Furse, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: ‘To even consider getting behind the wheel of his car while that intoxicated was an incredibly reckless and selfish act.
‘The CCTV images we have seen are absolutely appalling. The speeds reached by Mr King in his BMW were shocking and meant a catastrophic crash like this one was almost inevitable.
‘I hope the severity of this sentence sends a strong message to other drivers. There is no excuse at all for getting behind the wheel of any vehicle while impaired through drink or drugs.
‘Teresa’s family and friends have been completely devastated by her loss and we know that no prison sentence will change that, but we hope the justice brought today will help them as they try to heal.’
