A drunk driver who crashed his car in Deal and killed a man has been jailed for more than nine years.

Jack Nixon had spent the night drinking in Canterbury before deciding to drive home and give a lift to three people in the early hours of Sunday 9 October 2022.

Holding only a provisional driving licence, and no valid insurance nor MOT, Nixon drove his purple Volkswagon Polo out of a car park, colliding with the payment machine as it left.

He drove his passengers to a drive-through restaurant in Whitfield, before stopping to buy bottles of alcohol at a nearby petrol station. Less than 10 minutes after leaving the forecourt, Nixon lost control of the car and it collided with a railway bridge in Cornwall Road, Deal.

The collision resulted in the death of one of the occupants of the vehicle, a 21-year-old man from the Aylesham area. Other occupants were left injured, requiring hospital treatment. Emergency services attended the scene where Nixon was arrested and an investigation into the collision was launched.

Nixon was breathalysed at the roadside and the test showed he had 58 mg of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 mg.

A drugs test also showed Nixon had cannabis in his system. A bag of cannabis as well as ketamine were found during a search of the vehicle.

At Canterbury Crown Court in August 2024, 27 year old Nixon admitted causing a death by careless driving through alcohol, causing death by driving while unlicensed, and two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving.

On Thursday 7 November, Nixon, of Lancaster Road, Dover, was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison. Upon his release he will also be disqualified from driving for seven years.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Kayleigh Archer said:

‘It is staggering to consider that after drinking alcohol during a night out Nixon got behind the wheel of the car and even stopped to buy more alcohol during his journey before the very worst scenario happened. ‘His actions that night had far-reaching, tragic repercussions for all involved, as well as their families and friends. Two people were injured, one seriously, and the collision resulted in someone losing their life. While Nixon will now go to prison for what he did, my thoughts remain with those who are left behind to come to terms with their loss.’