Addict left girlfriend to die in crash after chase

A DRUG addict who left his dying girlfriend in a car after a head-on collision following a high speed police chase has been jailed for nine years and four months

Adrian Paskin fled from the vehicle after the crash on

Crockets Road, in Handsworth, in which 28-year-old mother Sarah Handley had suffered a severe head injury.

It was the second time he had been involved in a high speed pursuit within hours of each other. Both had been abandoned by the police because of the high risk.

Paskin, 35, of no fixed address, who had previously admitted causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance, was also banned from the roads for 12 years and eight months.

He was first seen by the police in the early hours of August 17 this year on the Bristol Road at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta when he drove through a red light.

Officers began a pursuit reaching up to 75mph just to catch up with him.

At Birmingham Crown Court, Aliya Rashid, prosecuting, said as soon as the defendant realised he was being followed he made off at speed.

After he drove on a pavement, reached 70mph and went through another two sets of red lights police decided to abandon the pursuit.

She said: “Within one minute the defendant’s Fiesta was discovered in Crocketts Road, Handsworth. It had collided head on with a Volkswagen Golf.

“The defendant then ran from the scene. His then-girlfriend Sarah Handley was a rear seat passenger. Unfortunately she had a serious head injury sustained from the collision.”

Miss Rashid said shortly afterwards she was pronounced dead by a doctor.

She said Paskin’s father made the addict hand himself in to police.

Paskin tested positive for cocaine and was four times over the permitted limit.

At one point the hearing was disrupted by an outburst from the defendant who shouted at the victim’s relatives: “Your daughter did not want me to stop the car.”

In passing sentence, Judge Melbourne Inman QC said: “You have shown no remorse whatsoever for her death.

“Indeed, your behaviour in this court during the sentencing hearing when the victim’s parents statements were being read out was utterly deplorable.”

Trevor Meegan, defending, said: “His life has been characterised by a class A drug addiction. It is a long-standing problem.”