Violinist walks free after she hit biker while high on drugs

A CLASSICAL violinist narrowly avoided jail after crashing her car into a motorcyclist while high on cocaine.

Victoria Yellop, who has performed for the Queen, took the drug the night before she hit a man, leaving him with life-changing injuries and unable to work. The 34-year-old addict was already subject to a suspended sentence after staging a £25,000 fake burglary at a friend’s house.

However, Julia Moffatt, a district judge, said she could not activate that sentence and put Yellop behind bars, because the crash happened before she was sentenced for the last offence.

Yellop was found to be more than twice the drug-drive limit by police.

The musician, who once performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, wept in the dock at Maidstone magistrates’ court after admitting driving without due care and attention and drug-driving. She was given a fourmonth suspended prison sentence and a six-month night-time curfew. She must pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £115, and was banned from driving for three years.