Woman who killed Whittlesey great grandmother in horror crash jailed

Glenis Hughes (76) was driving along the B1040 Ramsey Road on February 18 last year when Elaine May, driving a Nissan X-trail swerved across the carriageway into the wrong lane, causing a head on collision.

Glenis, of Herne Road, Whittlesey suffers serious injuries in the collision, with other motorists stopping to try and help. She was taken to hospital, but sadly she died later that day.

May (52), of Manor View, Whittlesey, also suffered serious injuries in the incident, and spent a week in hospital.

Today (Tuesday) she appeared at Peterborough Crown Court where she pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

Judge Sean Enright jailed her for 24 weeks.

The court heard that May and her husband had driven home to Whittlesey from the south of France the day before the crash, with the pair sharing the driving. While May herself only drove for three hours, the court was told she had stayed awake for the whole journey, arriving home at about 11pm.

She then got up at 6am on the day of the crash to take her son to university.

Judge Enright said tiredness was a factor in the crash, saying May may have ‘zoned out’ in the seconds leading up to the collision as a result.

The court was told the maximum sentence for death by careless driving is five years in prison, although in this case there were very few aggravating factors - alcohol or drugs were not involved, May had not been driving at speed or using a mobile phone, and she had a clean driving record. She also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, meaning she was entitled to a third off her sentence.

But Judge Enright added: “People will ask ‘is this the value society places on the life of Glenis Hughes?’ The answer is that I am required to follow case law.

”Nothing I can say will bring this lady back, or make things better for anyone.”

Along with the 24 week sentence, May was banned from driving for two years, with a 12 week extension to take into account the time she will spend behind bars. She will have to take an extended retest before she can drive again.