P'boro Drink Drive Killer Jailed

16 December 2010, 11:31 | Updated: 16 December 2010, 11:37

Rashid Mahmood, 24, had stayed up drinking with his girlfriend at a Peterborough hotel until the early hours of the morning on June 10.

Despite still being drunk, he left the hotel at 9.45am in his red Honda Accord. He travelled to several addresses in the Spalding and Market Deeping area, picking up three teenage girls including 15 year old Beth Markwick.

At about 11.30am, witnesses described him swerving across the A15 near Market Deeping. He lost control of the car which went into a spin and left the road, ending upside down in a ditch.

During the crash, Miss Markwick, of Woodcroft Close, Market Deeping, who had been sitting in the back of the car, was thrown from the vehicle. She suffered fatal injuries.

Witnesses said Mahmood, of Mayor's Walk, Peterborough, was seen to pour away a bottle of vodka into the ditch while he was still trapped in the vehicle.

He failed to provide a breath test but a blood test taken later found him to still be almost two times over the legal alcohol level.

Mahmood, who had a previous conviction for drink driving, denied driving erratically. However, he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Huntingdon Crown Court.

He was jailed for six years on Tuesday and banned from driving for five years.

PC David Halling, who investigated, said: "This case has left a lasting impact on the victims who were in the car and the family of Beth Marwick. No matter what sentence was passed, nothing can bring her back".

"We're pleased Mahmood pleaded guilty and prevented the victims and witnesses having to go through any further trauma".

"This case shows how easily drink driving can devastate families and the sentence shows how seriously it is treated. Mahmood will have plenty of time to reflect on his actions while he is inside his prison cell."