A HEREFORDSHIRE man who caused the death of a woman as he raced with a friend at twice the speed limit has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Tom Hill from Ross-on-Wye, aged 32, lost control of his Ford Fiesta and crashed into an oncoming car, killing the driver, mother-of-two Terri-Ann Matthews.

Hill, along with his friend Lyndon Parsons, 26 of St Briavels in Gloucestershire, had been travelling at up to twice the speed limit on the B4228 at Sling near Coleford in the Forest-of-Dean when the crash happened on January 28, 2022.

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Judge Ian Lawrie sentenced the two men to prison sentences at Gloucester Crown Court this month after they admitted causing death by dangerous driving. The judge said: "Both of you showed a complete and utter disregard for other road users."

The two men were racing from Coleford to Parsons' home, according to Gloucestershire Constabulary.

After Hill crashed into Miss Matthews' car, Parsons picked up his girlfriend Lucy Alexander, a third defendant in this case, and returned to the scene. 

Parsons and Alexander pretended they did not know Hill and had heard the crash behind them.

Hill, who was taken to hospital after injuring his back in the collision, told investigators that he had been going at the speed limit when he had hit mud on the road, causing him to skid into the path of Miss Marshall's Mini.

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However, later that evening Parsons and Alexander visited Hill's then-girlfriend to tell her what had happened. She called police the following day and told them about their confession to her. 

Eventually they admitted their involvement to police.

In mitigation, the three defendants said that they had made errors in judgment and would have to live with the consequences of their actions.

Hill was jailed for seven and a half years and disqualified from driving for eight-and-a-half years.

Parsons was jailed for eight years and disqualified from driving for nine years for both dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice.

Alexander, aged 23 and of Carbonne Close, Monmouth, was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for perverting the course of justice.

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A statement from the victim's family, issued through the police, said: "The family of Terri-Ann Marshall would like to extend their sincere thanks to everyone involved in collating the overwhelming evidence.

"No amount of sentencing could ever make up for the complete devastation that has been caused.

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"It has been an incredibly hard couple of years, however, we now feel we have some kind of closure in this case, and can move forward in grieving.

"Nothing happens by chance, by fate. You create your own fate by your actions. That's karma."

Miss Marshall was a 36-year-old mother-of-two, and died on impact at the scene of the crash.