Driver in 127mph fatal crash ‘thought she was invincible’
WOMAN TELLS COURT OF ‘MANIC EPISODE’
A DRIVER has been cleared of killing a husband and seriously injuring his wife through dangerous driving after she told a court she was suffering a “manic episode” at the time of a horrific crash on the M25.
Jill Higgins was so detached from reality when she weaved in and out of traffic on the motorway at speeds of up to 127mph that she “thought she was in a driving game”.
The 54-year-old, who was driving a Range Rover, crashed into a Vauxhall and a Ford in a three-car smash near Enfield.
She was found not guilty on Wednesday July 24 of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, after a jury at the Old Bailey was told she felt like she was “in a dream” when she sped down the motorway.
Daniel Dayalan, 60, from Hayes, died as a result of the injuries he suffered in the crash, on September 23 2017. His wife Niromi, 55, was seriously hurt and taken to hospital.
Psychiatrist Dr Matthew Appleyard said Higgins, from Warrington, “thought she was invincible” and was “not in touch with reality” when the tragedy occurred.
After stepping out of her vehicle the court heard Higgins seemed “elated” and “jovial” to witnesses.
She also invited a witness to her wedding even though she was not due to get married.
She was taken to hospital following the crash and her behaviour led to her being detained under the Mental Health Act and prescribed anti-psychotic medication.
Dr Appleyard said he believed she had experienced “visual and auditory hallucinations” and had “grandiose delusional thoughts and beliefs”.
“At the time she described, she didn’t know her behaviour was strange at all. She had delusional beliefs,” he said.
“I got the impression she wasn’t convinced she had been unwell. She was hyper-manic and had limited insight into her mental disorder.”
The court heard how the defendant, when assessed after the crash, said “God had spoken to [her] and told [her] to buy the most basic crucifix bearing his name”.
Preceding the crash Higgins was said to have been acting erratically, sparking concern among family members.
She spent “excessive” amounts of money, giving a homeless person £490 and having her card declined at a restaurant and paying with an iPad instead.
The court heard how the defendant had lost her husband to cancer six months prior to the horror crash.
She then began a relationship with a neighbour but they broke up several months before the incident which the court heard “knocked her for six”.
The jury found her not guilty of the charges against her on the grounds of insanity. A two-year supervision order was imposed on her by the court.