St Leonards drink driver jailed after killing pedestrian

Witnesses said they heard squealing tyres as Gary Cornwall, 57, accelerated out of Gillsmans Hill, St Leonards, at roughly 10am on June 16 last year before his car mounted the curb in The Green.

David Evans, 72, from Hastings, was walking on the pavement when he was hit. He died at the scene.

Witnesses described the manoeuvre by Cornwall as “reckless” and “out of control”.

Cornwall appeared at Lewes Crown Court. He denied intentionally drifting but admitted to intentionally accelerating harshly out of the junction.

Gary Cornwall, 57 (Image: Sussex Police)

He also failed a roadside breath test.

In custody, more than an hour and a half after the incident, he tested positive for 68 microgrammes (mcg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of breath.

The legal limit is 35mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.

Cornwall said he had consumed homemade wine the night before and had not realised he was over the alcohol limit.

There were serious defects with his vehicle which meant it was considered to be in a dangerous condition, with broken power steering, no anti-lock braking, and tyre treads below 1.6mm on the rear tyres.

The BMW mounted a curb (Image: Sussex Police)

Cornwall, of Woodland Vale Road, St Leonards, admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

The court was told how Cornwall also had a previous conviction for drug-driving in 2015.

READ MORE: Hove: Police called to scene of crash of two vehicles

Judge Jeremy Gold KC said Cornwall had carried out an “inherently dangerous manoeuvre”.

Cornwall was jailed for four years and eight months and was disqualified from driving for six years and four months.

The family of David Evans described him as a “kind and selfless” man and said the impact of his death has been “devastating” for them.