KEY POINTS
- The 26-year-old driver was trying to ram into another vehicle when he struck the 96-year-old woman
- The man pleaded guilty to several charges, including manslaughter and drunk driving
- He was disqualified from driving for 10 years, in addition to his prison sentence
A 26-year-old driver in the U.K. has been sentenced to prison after mowing down and killing a 96-year-old woman in a fit of road rage back in March.
Michael Irons was sentenced Friday to 10 years and 6 months in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter, criminal damage to endanger, driving with excess alcohol and causing death while uninsured, Wales Online reported.
The judge ordered that Irons will need to serve a minimum of four years in jail after striking the victim, Ivy Warnes, with his silver Volkswagen Golf in the town of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England, on March 8.
The elderly woman was being helped across the street by her daughter when she was hit by the car.
Warnes suffered serious injuries from the incident and later died in a hospital.
Before he struck Warnes, Irons had been involved in a dispute with the occupants of an Audi Q7 earlier that day.
According to police, the occupants of the Audi had challenged Irons, who then reversed into another vehicle and drove off, deliberately scraping his car along the side of the parked Audi.
Irons dropped off his partner and daughter and drove back to the scene. He drove deliberately toward the parked Audi Q7, intending to ram his Volkswagen Golf into the vehicle, according to authorities.
However, Irons hit Warnes before he collided with the Audi. He tried to flee the scene but was stopped by members of the public who had witnessed the collisions.
During his arrest, Irons was racially abusive toward members of the public, police said.
A breath test showed that Irons had a reading of 55 micrograms, which is above the legal limit of 35.
"Iron's actions that day have left a family without a much-loved mother and our thoughts remain with them. This was a case of appalling driving standards with Irons showing a complete disregard for other road users," Detective Inspector Dave McCormack, of Norfolk Constabulary, was quoted as saying by the outlet.
"Not only did he drive dangerously with a vehicle that was uninsured but he went on to use that vehicle as a weapon to enact a deliberate act of violence upon another road user - claiming the life of an elderly pedestrian in the process," he continued.
In addition to his prison sentence, Irons was also disqualified from driving for 10 years. He will be required to pass an extended driving test before he can get his license back.
Warnes' daughter Jill said her mother was the victim of a horrific and senseless incident.
"The tragic circumstances of mum’s death will haunt us forever," Jill added.
Representation. Angel Tacuri, of 53, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision after he admitted to sexually abusing eight children between 2010 and 2015. Photo: VBlock/Pixabay
