Rugby player jailed for killing girlfriend in drink-drive crash - despite her family's plea for leniency

A Rugby player who killed his girlfriend in a drink-drive car accident after being distracted by a “kiss” has been jailed for two years - despite her family’s plea for leniency.

Benjamin Hughes, 24, had been drinking pints of beer and shots before driving home with his girlfriend Dominique Wright, a master’s student  at the University of Leeds, on 30 October last year.

Ms Wright was killed halfway through the journey, near Southwell, Nottingham, when Hughes veered into a ditch and crashed into a tree.

Hughes, a self-employed plumber, was later arrested and found to have 141 micrograms of alcohol in 110 ml of blood - almost twice the legal limit.

However, at Nottingham crown court yesterday, Ms Wright’s family delivered an emotional plea for Hughes to be spared jail, adding that he was like a “son” to them.

Defending Hughes, Martin Elwick said he had made a “fateful, tragic decision” to drive and that the crash had resulted in him losing some he “loved dearly”.

He added that Ms Wright’s family hoped he would be shown leniency as he was an “integral part of their grieving process”.

But Judge John Burgess, sentencing, told Hughes that whilst he “never intended” Ms Wright any harm, his actions had resulted in her suffering “fatal injuries”.

He added that whilst he acknowledged the family’s pleas, the courts needed to remind the public of the “terrible consequences of drink driving”.

"We have to take account of the broader picture. Just as our sentences cannot be entirely determined by the views of people seeking maximum sentences, neither can they be entirely determined by pleas for mercy,” he continued.

“My job is to look at the whole picture and try to pass a sentence that reflects not only the wrong you have done, but also the harm you have caused."

Hughes was jailed for two years and handed a four-year driving ban.