A driver who had drunk at least 10 pints of lager and a shot during Christmas Eve celebrations at a Norfolk pub killed a woman he was giving a lift home to.
Luke Barnard, 29, crashed his car on the A148 near Fakenham, resulting in the death of his passenger Claire Williamson, 41.
Norwich Crown Court heard Barnard had drunk "something in the region of 11 or 12 pints of draft lager" as well as a shot while at a pub in the town.
He then lost control of his Vauxhall Insignia, in which Ms Williamson was a front seat passenger, which went spinning through trees on the side of the road.
Ian James, prosecuting, said the vehicle ended up on its roof in the road having suffered "catastrophic damage" following the crash at about 1.40am on December 24, 2021.
He said Barnard used the phone of an HGV driver who had stopped after witnessing the crash to call the emergency services but Ms Williamson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers who arrived heard Barnard making comments like "Why did I go out? Why did I agree to pick her up?
"Why did I do it? I should've walked home and gone to sleep."
Barnard, who failed a roadside breath test, had to be treated for his injuries.
A sample later obtained revealed a reading of 198 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.
Barnard, of Hall Close, Fakenham, gave no comment when interviewed by police.
But he later admitted causing death by dangerous driving while unfit through drink and was sentenced at court on Friday.
The court heard extracts of a statement read out on behalf of Ms Williamson's family, including her mother and daughters, which said: "She didn't deserve to die, life is so empty without her. All the joy has gone from our lives."
The statement also described how Christmas was "supposed to be a happy time" but was not in 2021 with her daughters having to spend the festive period "without their mother".
The statement also said that "her presents have not been opened and will never be opened".
The court also heard how Ms Williamson's daughters wished they could have stopped her going out that night and how they miss her and "always will".
Jailing Barnard for three years, Judge Anthony Bate said: "This is a sad and salutary case which shows the perils of drink driving on the roads of Norfolk."
He said Ms Williamson had "taken a lift in good faith from a man she knew".
But he said Barnard "should not have been behind the wheel of a car at that time" as he was "unfit to drive through drink".
Judge Bate said the impact of Ms Williamson's death on her family was "profound and ongoing".
Rob Pollington, mitigating, said although one person lost their life, "the reality is many lives were ruined that day".
He said the defendant has had a mental breakdown, as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a deep depression.
Mr Pollington said what has happened "haunts him" and should do "for the rest of his life".
He said not a day goes when he doesn't question why he wasn't hurt or killed and why Ms Williamson was.
Mr Pollington added Barnard, who he insisted would swap places with Ms Williamson, was a "lawful individual who made a catastrophic and foolish decision that's led to tragic consequences".
Barnard was disqualified from driving for four years.
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