Driver killed woman after jumping a red light in Chester

The driving of Paul Wright was atrocious and pointless, say police.

A driver who killed a woman when he jumped a red light and hit her car has been jailed for nine years.

Cheshire Constabulary said Paul Wright, 31, smashed into a car driven by Jane Hickson, 57, in Chester on 5 November.

Ms Hickson, who was taking her 21-year-old daughter to see her elderly grandparents, died at the scene.

Wright, of Westerna Avenue, Ellesmere Port, was jailed at Chester Crown Court on Thursday after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

Police said Wright was driving a BMW X5 along Liverpool Road, Chester, to see his partner who was in hospital after giving birth to his second child.

He drove at 60mph in a 40mph zone approaching the Countess of Chester hospital but slowed to 30mph, however he skipped a red light and ploughed into the side of a Vauxhall Grandland X, driven by Ms Hickson, who worked in the fitness industry.

Jane Hickson died at the crash scene

During their investigation, officers found Wright had already skipped two other red lights in the minutes prior to the crash.

Police said he narrowly avoided a crash on Whitby Lane in one of these incidents and when a witness showed their concern and discontent, Wright stuck his middle finger up and sped off.

Cannabis test

Wright performed poorly on a field impairment test and tested positive for cannabis on a drugs wipe but a subsequent blood test revealed he was under the legal limit.

His drug use was used by the judge when determining his jail term.

During the hearing, it was also revealed that Wright was on bail for drug driving at the time of the crash after testing positive on a roadside drugs wipe in May. Officers were awaiting the blood analysis results when he killed Ms Hickson.

Sgt Simon Degg said the crash was caused by "extremely poor and dangerous driving" over a prolonged period of time which "can only be described as atrocious and pointless".

"His actions have devastated the lives of all those involved, including his own family," he added.

Wright was banned from driving and must take a retest at the end of his disqualification period.