Drunk driver who killed schoolgirl had nine pints and snorted cocaine before getting behind the wheel

A driver who ran into a group of schoolchildren and killed a teenager had downed nine pints and snorted cocaine before getting behind the wheel.

Stuart Abbs was found to have drunk four times the recommended amount of alcohol before he set off in his Audi convertible.

The 39-year-old had also snorted cocaine before he drove at 55mph in a 30mph zone.

Abbs skidded into a group of schoolchildren who were walking on Pixton Way in Croydon in July last year.

Six teens were injured, three seriously, while 16-year-old Nicole Davis was killed.

Abbs, from Ramsgate, Kent, has now pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and one count of failing to report an accident.

The court heard how Abbs fled the scene shortly after the crash before handing himself in to police the next day.

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He was breathalysed and tested positive for cocaine.

Sally-Anne Russell, of the CPS, said: ‘Stuart Abbs killed one teenager and caused serious injuries to others as a result of his dangerous driving.

‘If he had been driving at the speed limit he would have had more time to brake and avoid any casualties.

‘Furthermore, only 20 minutes before this crash, the prosecution was able to show CCTV of Abbs drinking heavily in nearby pubs. He also admitted to police he had taken cocaine.

‘Our thoughts are with the families and friends of Nicole Davis, and the other injured children, at this time.’

Abbs was jailed for 10 years banned from driving for nine years.