‘Coward’ driver hit mum and left her to die in the road after downing 11 pints
A driver who killed a mum-of-three after drinking 11 pints and getting behind the wheel has been jailed for more than 10 years.
Matthew Harris, 36, left Keita Mullen, 30, dying in the road after the horror crash in South Yorkshire shortly after midnight on July 24, 2022.
Keita suffered catastrophic injuries after being thrown across the road by the impact, which also left her friend hurt.
Harris, who did not even have a licence, managed to lie low for four days but was eventually arrested after officers found the wing mirror of the Nissan Juke he was driving at the scene.
The crumpled car was found at his home in Conisbrough, with Keita’s DNA recovered from the smashed windscreen.
Detectives then used CCTV footage to piece together Harris’s movements before the fatal crash.
They discovered he had been at a bar in Burncroft Hill, where he had drunk 11 pints of what is believed to be lager.
He then got into the car to drive home along the A1 towards Doncaster.
Despite answering ‘no comment’ to every question in his police interview, Harris eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
He was jailed for 10 years and eight months this week.
Serious collisions sergeant John Taylor said: ‘No length of sentence handed to Harris can bring Kieta back.
‘We know at the time of the collision Harris was driving without a licence and insurance and driving at speed having consumed 11 pints of alcohol.”
‘Harris’s actions led him to killing Kieta were selfish, and following the collision can only be described as that of a coward.
‘I am pleased he will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars, and I hope a strong message is sent to our communities; we all have a responsibility for each other.
Following Keita’s death, her husband Tom Mullen wrote a heartbreaking tribute to her, saying ‘nothing will ever be the same without you’.
He wrote on Facebook: ‘Literally my best friend for more than half my life, nothing will ever be the same without you!
‘Beautiful inside and out, so immensely talented and the best mummy in the world!
‘I promise you I’ll take care of our babies, raise them exactly how you wanted and make sure they never forget just how special you are.
‘We all love and miss you so much Keits.’
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