An international beauty queen-turned-lawyer was jailed in Manchester today after she mowed down a man in a hit-and-run crash while driving home drunk after a swanky work Christmas party.
Kristina Long, 26, who once represented Northern Ireland in a beauty pageant in South Korea, catapulted David Robinson 24 metres into the air while speeding in a 20mph zone on the outskirts of Manchester city centre.
But at twice the legal drink drive limit, the former Miss Bolton and one-time Miss England hopeful carried on her journey to Bolton despite knowing that she had ‘hit someone’.
Unbeknown to her, museum technician Mr Robinson, 53, was lying in the road with a fractured spine and fractured leg until an ambulance was called by a motorist who came across him in the road.
Today Long was jailed for 12 months after she pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious injury, failing to stop at the scene of a collision and driving with excess alcohol. She was also disqualified from driving for two years.
Manchester Crown Court was told Long had been drinking wine and vodka at the trendy work do held at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium by her law firm Keogh’s.
She had agreed to drive Andrea Jackson and two male friends into Manchester city centre at around midnight on December 15 last year after partying for more than four hours.
On the way back home, she entered the 20mph zone in Salford driving at more than 30mph, where Miss Jackson began vomiting in the passenger seat of the Vauxhall Corsa due to drink, which distracted Long.
Her car then collided with Mr Robinson, causing injuries which left him in hospital for almost a month and in a neck brace for longer.
But it was not until Long returned home and confessed to hitting something that a relative called police.
Police found to have 45mg of alcohol on her breath almost two hours after the incident – meaning she was likely to be at 61mg at the time. The legal limit is 35mg.
Her car was also severely damaged from the impact with Mr Robinson’s body.
Long, of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, and originally from Belfast, competed in World Miss University in 2010 representing Northern Ireland, where she won the ‘Miss Speech’ award.
Swapping the catwalk for the courtroom, she then became a lawyer at Keogh’s – described as: “The only ‘top 100’ law firm in the UK working exclusively in general insurance claims and an acknowledged market leader.”
When footage of the incident was shown to Long, she said: “Oh my God.”
Prosecutor Charlotte Crangle said: “As Mr Robinson starts to cross the defendant’s car is some distance away. Witnesses saw Mr Robinson despite the conditions being dark. It’s a well-lit area.
“As Mr Robinson got into the lane he was struck by the defendant’s car at the near side. CCTV shows there was no braking at all until after the impact. He hit the bonnet and was thrown up into the air and propelled 24 metres forward before landing in the bus lane with his feet facing towards the pavement.
“The defendant’s windscreen was smashed. Her average speed was about 36mph according to experts. Robinson started to cross when the defendant’s vehicle was 86 metres away.
“The defendant’s vehicle didn’t stop or remain at the scene. She continued on her journey to Bolton and then four miles further on to where she was living.
“Miss Jackson was unwell so she didn’t see anything of the collision but she told police she heard the defendant say: ‘Oh my God, I think I have hit something.’
“When she got home she mentioned it to a family member. She looked at the damage to the vehicle and it was clear she had hit something. The police were contacted at 1.20am.”
Mr Robinson was taken to Salford Royal Hospital where he remained until January 14 2012. He was found to have two fractures to his spine, two fractures to his leg which required surgery, a pelvic fracture and a bleed to the brain.
Formerly a keen swimmer and runner, he had to move back in with his parents as he required assistance with simple day to day activities.
Miss Crangle added: “She said she had hit someone in Manchester and panicked and dropped her friend home. She told police in interview she was distracted by her friend being sick in the car and she wasn’t familiar with the area so she was using her sat nav.
“One minute she was looking at the sat nav and the next someone walked in front of the car and it smashed into them. She said the car wouldn’t stop accelerating. She said she was going 30mph which she thought was the speed limit.”
In mitigation defence barrister Tim Brennand said that in 27 years of doing the job he had rarely seen a collection of testimonials as thorough, glowing and realistic as the ones put forward on behalf of Long.
He added: “Not one night she spends at Her Majesty’s prison will restore full health to Mr Robinson, nor repair the psychological trauma that he has suffered and continues to suffer.
“For him the events of that day have proved to be utterly catastrophic. But similarly the events of that day are nothing less than a tragedy for this defendant.
“She has represented her country in a beauty pageant and worked for a number of charities in relation to that particular aspect of her pastime.
“In whatever role she has played – whether as daughter, partner, lawyer, beauty queen – she has discharged her role to a high level, leaving behind a mark which reflects the defendant’s personality.
“She has been so affected by what she has done and what nearly happened to him that she never wants to get behind the wheel of a car again. She has repeated that and she couldn’t bring herself to attempt to return to the roads.”
But passing sentence, the judge Mr Recorder Paul Lawton said cases like this require a message to be sent out about drink-driving around the Christmas period.
“The tragic circumstances of this case are obvious to all concerned,” he said. “But they are circumstances of your own making. You took a calculated risk to drive having consumed a large amount of alcohol. I do not accept you thought you were fit to drive.
“Mr Robinson suffered life-changing injuries. I don’t believe you knew you had hit a man when you left the scene. Of course you are sorry for what you did and there is compelling mitigation which shows the positive aspect of your character.
“You took the risk and whatever the mitigation this court can’t ignore public concern about this type of incident and the need to deter others who may behave in the same way.”
Picture courtesy of Michael Grimes, with thanks.
