Woman Faces Jail for Death While Texting Road Accident

A woman has been warned that she faces a lengthy jail sentence after being convicted of killing a motorist  shortly after she had used her mobile phone while driving. Philippa Curtis, of Suffolk, hit the back of Victoria McBryde's car at 70mph in Oxfordshire. Ms McBryde suffered a fatal brain injury from the accident.

Mobile phone network records showed that Ms Curtis, 21 had sent some 20 text messages during her journey to meet her boyfriend. She told the court that she thought it was allowed to send text messages while driving - although that is illegal in the UK.

After being challenged by the prosecutor who asked her if she thought sending text messages while driving at 70mph in the dark - she said she would have probably "slowed down" to send the messages during the journey last November.

Although she wasn't using the phone at the moment of the accident, she had made a phone call less than a minute prior to it. She was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving in Oxford County Court.

The judge, Julian Hall granted bail pending sentencing, but warned that she almost certainly faces a jail sentence. She has been banned from driving while on bail.

Posted to the site on 22nd December 2008