Diss woman jailed after killing mother of two in crash
The judge said she'd shown "profound, ongoing remorse"
A businesswoman has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for killing a mother in a head-on collision after taking anti-anxiety pills.
Alicia Clarke, 49, tearfully collapsed in the dock of Court One of the Old Bailey as she was sentenced for causing the death of 45-year-old Michelle Overy by dangerous driving.
The defendant, from Diss in Norfolk, had been behind the wheel of a Mercedes car which veered onto the wrong lane and crashed into the mother-of-two's Ford on the A143 at Thorpe Abbotts on the evening of December 18 2020.
The court was told Clarke had been self-medicating with anti-anxiety drugs that she had bought online after suffering a series of miscarriages.
Medical experts had concluded that the drugs would have affected her ability to drive.
In mitigation, James Leonard said Clarke had been suffering from undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and shown "poor judgment".
He said that on the day of the fatal crash, Clarke had the drug Pregabilin in her system and had taken a Xanax tablet.
In a victim impact statement, ex-husband Trevor Overy said that the loss of his wife had taken a "huge emotional toll" on their teenage children.
Sentencing, Judge Anthony Bate said it was a "difficult and sensitive case".
He told the court: "I regret I have come to the conclusion this offence of causing the death by dangerous driving is so serious only immediate custody can be justified."
The judge took into account Clarke's guilty plea and disqualified her from driving for three years and three months and ordered to take an extended driving test before getting behind the wheel again.
He also noted that Clarke, of Mrs Clarke's General Stores in Harleston in Norfolk, had "positive personal qualities", a good driving record and shown "profound, ongoing remorse".