A man who caused a fatal crash on the A47 was rushing to take his nine year-old son to a school event, a court has heard.
Maureen Powley, 83, was a front seat passenger in a Vauxhall Astra being driven by her granddaughter which was struck by a VW Bora at Dereham Road, close to the junction with the A47 near Wendling.
Following the crash the victim was taken to hospital but despite treatment for her injuries she later died following a cardiac arrest.
Norwich Crown Court heard Richard Hindry, the driver of the Bora, had been running late to get his son, nine, to a school event at the time of the crash.
Since the crash, which happened at about 2pm on July 8 last year, Hindry, who has a previous conviction for dangerous driving, was convicted for speeding at 87mph on the A47 in January this year.
Edward Renvoize, prosecuting, said prior to the crash Hindry, 31, had overtaken a car “at speed” before striking the rear of the Astra which had been waiting to exit the junction on the A47.
He said Hindry had been travelling at between 80mph and 90mph at the time of the overtake prior to the crash which saw Mrs Powley, a front seat passenger in the Astra, suffer serious injuries which she later succumbed to.
Mr Renvoize said it was “quite clear this defendant was driving well in excess” of the 50mph speed limit at the time of the crash.
He said Hindry's driving had fallen "not far short of dangerous driving".
At the scene Hindry made comments that "he was running late" although when interviewed by police he denied being late to take his son to a school event.
However he did accept he was responsible for the collision.
Hindry, of West End, Bradenham, near Dereham, appeared at court for sentence on Friday (September 10) having previously admitted causing death by careless driving.
He also admitted having two defective tyres.
Before being sentenced Mrs Powley's only daughter provided a statement describing the impact of crash and subsequent death of her mum.
She said it would “haunt me for the rest of my life”, stating “We were not only mother and daughter - we were best friends”.
The court heard how she feels Hindry had “robbed” her and her family of time with her mother.
She said: “I miss my mum so much and life will never be the same again”.
She now has difficulty “sleeping and mixing with friends”.
The court also heard a statement from the victim’s granddaughter who was driving the car on the day of the fatal crash.
She said her nan was “like my best friend” and was her last grandparent “taken from me”.
She said she was unable to get behind the wheel in the weeks that followed the fatal crash.
She had been worried she “would be hit by someone else and there would be another accident”.
The court was also told she cannot go past the accident site and told Hindry that his actions have “impacted our family so much”.
Jailing Hindry for 15 months, Judge Katharine Moore said he had a history of poor driving and been travelling “too quickly and without sufficient care” at the time of the crash.
Judge Moore, who noted that even after this fatal crash Hindry was convicted of speeding, said: “Your driving does pose a risk to others”.
But the judge accepted no sentence she passed could undo the devastation caused by Hindry at the loss of the victim who she said was “much loved and much missed”.
Will Carter, mitigating, said there was an “underlying remorse” which led Hindry to plead guilty.
He said “he’s had quite some time to reflect on what he’s done”.
He said Hindry, who helped his dad care for his mother, was “truly sorry”.
Hindry was also disqualified from driving for five years and seven and a half-months and ordered to take an extended retest.
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