BMW driver who was high on cannabis when he killed mother-of-two in horrific 60mph road crash weeps as he's jailed for nine years

Paul Wright, 31, killed pilates teacher Jane Hickson in a horror smash last yearHickson was taking her daughter Olivia to see the youngster's grandmotherWright tested positive for cannabis but was under the drug drive limit

A father who was high on cannabis when he killed a loving mother-of-two in a horrific road smash wept as he was today jailed for nine years.

Paul Wright, 31, was speeding at 60mph in a 40mph zone and overtaking other cars when he jumped a red light in his BMW sports car and ploughed into another vehicle being driven by pilates teacher Jane Hickson near Chester, Cheshire in November last year.

Mrs Hickson, 57, who was taking her daughter Olivia to see the youngster’s elderly grandmother in a care home suffered multiple fatal injuries in the impact and died shortly afterwards in hospital.

When quizzed, Wright said his second child had just been born at the Countess of Chester Hospital and claimed he was in a rush to get there as the infant had gone missing. He told officers: ‘I do not care about me now – I have destroyed their family.’

Wright tested positive for cannabis but was under the drug drive limit. Inquiries revealed the tragedy in November 2023 occurred when he was due in court for drug driving in an unrelated incident whilst ten times the limit for the cocaine compound BZE.

He had been caught the previous May – five months before the accident – but there was a Home Office delay in testing his drug sample which meant he was able to legally stay on the road.

Jane Hickson (pictured) was taking her daughter Olivia to see the youngster's elderly grandmother in a care home

Jane Hickson (pictured) was taking her daughter Olivia to see the youngster’s elderly grandmother in a care home

Wright (pictured) was jailed for nine years at Chester Crown Court this week

Wright (pictured) was jailed for nine years at Chester Crown Court this week

Jane Hickson's family (pictured: Husband John and daughter Olivia) have been left completely heartbroken

Jane Hickson’s family (pictured: Husband John and daughter Olivia) have been left completely heartbroken

At Chester Crown Court, Wright wept as he was jailed for nine years after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

He was also banned from driving for eight years which will start when he is released.

The court heard how the victim’s husband John had to break the tragic news to 21-year old university student Olivia as she was being treated for own injuries in the back of an ambulance. The impact took place near their family home in Upton, Chester.

In a statement, Mr Hickson, a health and safety manager, told how how he had been looking forward to spending his retirement with his wife and how his family had been left ‘devastated’ by the accident.

He said: ‘I try to keep strong outwardly but inside I am completely broken and wracked with emotional pain. I understand the defendant was picking up his newborn baby from the same hospital where Jane died, and Olivia was treated.

‘But he had driven dangerously and impaired all the way there. If he had not collided with Jane, it is likely that he would have risked the life of his own baby and his partner, in the process of bringing them home.

‘This is the only way that I can attempt to find a reason for Jane’s death, that it prevented the death of someone else – in this case this individuals own family.

‘I know that he had an opportunity to change his behaviour when he was stopped, some five months earlier by police and failed a roadside drug test.

‘At this point I believe he would have known about the birth of his child and could have chosen to change his behaviour. He could have decided to either not take drugs or to stop driving. But he decided to do neither, with indescribable consequences to my family.

‘In an attempt to bring a small amount of good from the hell that our family have gone through and will continue to do so, I ask for help from this court to seek to rally the Home Office to try to reduce the backlog of forensic analysis cases for drug drive offences and reduce the amount of time that it takes for a blood sample to be analysed for future cases.

‘A reduction in this time may have helped prevent Jane’s death. Campaigning to improve speed of the process for dealing with drug drivers will not bring Jane back, I know that, but it might save someone else going through the same horrific experience we as a family are existing through now.’

The impact took place near their family home in Upton, Chester (Pictured: Jane with her husband John)

The impact took place near their family home in Upton, Chester (Pictured: Jane with her husband John)

The tragedy occurred at 10.30am on November 5 last year after Mrs Hickson a WI and Scouts stalwart who ran her own fitness instructor business was leaving the family home with Olivia in Upton Grange in the family Vauxhall after they spent the morning together ahead of the youngster returning to university.

Wright had been driving his BMW X5 at a ‘very fast speed’ and in the run up to the crash, had tailgated another car and jumped another red light only to slow rapidly in order to avoid a collision.

Prosecutor Mark Connor said: ‘A motorist had a view as the BMW was immediately ahead of him and shouted, ‘oh no!’ as he anticipated a collision. He raised his arms as if to question the manner of the defendant’s driving but the defendant noticed Mr Barber’s reaction and raised a finger towards him in an offensive gesture.

‘The defendant then accelerated very hard and the manner of this driving was described as ‘violent and aggressive’ and ‘an accident waiting to happen’.

‘The motorist said to his wife ‘he’s going to kill himself or someone else’.

‘Another driver who approached a junction in the left-hand lane when the traffic lights were on red, noticed the black BMW driving at least 60mph in the right hand lane.

Jane Hickson with her sister Tracey prior to the crash which occurred last November

Jane Hickson with her sister Tracey prior to the crash which occurred last November

‘It caught his eye because there was a lot of spray coming off the BMW due to its speed. He commented to his daughter to be careful as there was a speeding car and he wanted to ensure she was wearing her seat belt.

‘He was also concerned and angry as the defendant drove extremely close to the side of his car to the extent that he felt it would make contact. he defendant’s vehicle continued towards the junction without appearing to brake or slow down.

‘The other driver saw Mrs Hickson vehicle enter the junction and as it did, so he shouted ‘stop!’ realising that the defendant’s vehicle was heading towards an inevitable collision.

‘He was in disbelief at the defendant’s driving. A third driver described hearing the roar of the BMW’s engine as it accelerated away from him. he observed the defendant driving through the red lights, saw no brake lights or change in speed then saw Mrs Hickson’s vehicle appear,

‘It spanned most of lane one when the defendant’s vehicle struck the middle third of Mrs Hickson’s car causing it to spin 360 degrees and the BMW to move to lane two where it came to a stop further down the road. The driver spoke briefly to Olivia who was getting out of her mother’s car before challenging the defendant asking him why he was ‘driving like an idiot,’ H replied that his mother was in the hospital.’

The court heard a fourth driver who was returning home from a shopping errand with her mother and six month baby described Wright’s driving as ‘insane’ and ‘ridiculous’ and commented: ‘Oh my god look at this f..king idiot’ whilst at the wheel.

Wright had been driving his BMW X5 at a 'very fast speed' and in the run up to the crash (Pictured: Jane with her husband John)

Wright had been driving his BMW X5 at a ‘very fast speed’ and in the run up to the crash (Pictured: Jane with her husband John)

She told how the BMW swerved to undertake her on the left before travelling though the red light and described her car ‘shaking’ as the BMW sped past her.

She sounded her horn continuously until the point when Wright ploughed into Mrs Hickson’s car in an impact she described as ‘sounding like a very loud, intense and frightening explosion.’ She saw Olivia get out of her mother’s car and collapse to the floor.’

Police were called to the scene carried out a drugs wipe test upon Wright which showed a positive reading for cannabis but a later blood test showed he was just below the legal drug driving limit. However he failed a ‘field fit test’ at the scene with prosecutors insisting he was driving whilst under the influence of cannabis.

Police investigations revealed the traffic lights were on green for three seconds in favour of Mrs Hickson in the run up to the impact and she was in no way to blame for the accident.

In a statement, Olivia who suffered back pain plus cuts and bruises about her body,  said: ‘I hope that he can look at his actions and go ‘Was it worth it?’ He has broken a family up.

‘The fact that he knew that he skipped red lights beforehand, it could have been anyone. Someone was going to get hurt with that sort of behaviour.

‘I do not wish anyone ill will but I do think that he should look at his actions and look at how it has affected so many people.

‘My life is never going to be the same, nor is my brother’s. My mum is not going to be at my graduation or my wedding or my brother’s wedding, all because he wanted to get somewhere faster. It’s just not worth it.’

The court heard last November 7 – 48 hours after the tragedy – Wright had been fined £120 and banned from driving for 12 months over the earlier drug driving incident.

Sentencing Judge Steven Everett said: ‘It is surprising that there is a drug driving law as my instinct would be to say if you’re driving with cannabis or taking cocaine you’re breaking the law and there should be no limit.’

‘If the prosecution for drug driving had taken place within two months this defendant would have appeared in court the summer and would not have been legally on the road.

‘But only after this terrible crash was the sample fast tracked which suggests to me that for five and a half months the sample had been sitting somewhere waiting for analysis. I would say it’s time features like this are urgently looked at.’

He told Wright: ‘You said your child had gone missing and in some sort of sense of entitlement which was ridiculous at the time and does not bear any sort of careful consideration you made a decision to rush to the hospital to find your child. There is no logic to that at all.

‘If you genuinely thought the baby had disappeared the first thing you should be saying to your partner is ‘Contact a nurse immediately.’

‘The second thing, if there is no assistance, would be to ring the hospital or even ring 999.

‘What you do not do, like a knight on a charging horse, is break the law to get to the hospital to sort it out yourself. I reject that explanation you. There was no reasonable excuse for what you did.’

News Related

OTHER NEWS

Reforms announced to address 'stain' of indefinite prison sentences

Thousands of offenders who are serving controversial indefinite prison sentences will no longer have to wait 10 years before they can apply to have their licence terminated under changes announced ... Read more »

Mason Greenwood: Getafe set date for permanent Man Utd transfer talks, as Prem clubs ‘send scouts’

Mason Greenwood is on loan at Getafe from Man Utd Getafe have decided they will speak to Manchester United about a permanent move for Mason Greenwood in April, while Premier ... Read more »

How to claim compensation for pothole damage to your car

Road workers fixing a pothole Potholes are a daily hazard for drivers – and with winter on the way, the condition of British roads is only likely to get worse. ... Read more »

Starfield Player Discovers Ominous Alien Hatchery On A Barren Planet

Starfield Player Discovers Ominous Alien Hatchery On A Barren Planet Starfield features unique planets and worlds in its Settled Systems, breaking up the monotony of exploration with diverse environments and ... Read more »

Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR

Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised ... Read more »

Country diary: A tale of three churches

In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of ... Read more »

Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty

Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday ... Read more »
Top List in the World