A nan called her family to say "he's driving like a lunatic" before she was killed by a drug driver in a crash.
Terry Lee Majors, of Marina, St Leonards, has been jailed for three years and eight months, as well as being disqualified from driving for five and a half years, after admitting to causing death by dangerous driving. Majors was driving with his passenger Cheryl Brookes, 35, at the time of the incident in July 2021, when his Ford Fiesta "veered off the road into trees" on the A27 in Sussex.
The pair had been on their way back from a night away in Brighton, however the court heard how Majors had lost his temper before the journey when he saw another man look at her Instagram, SussexLive reports.
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On the drive back, the court heard how the 40-year-old driver was abusing Cheryl as she made a phone call to relatives. She was reported to have told her relatives: "He’s driving like a lunatic. He is doing 100mph and is scaring me.”
Cheryl also texted a friend and described how Majors had become “jealous” and “paranoid” before he left Brighton in a rage. While driving home, Majors "appeared to try and attempt to overtake a vehicle" when he "lost control" and crashed into trees on the A27 Pevensey bypass near the Hankham Hall Road bridge over the carriageway.
Cheryl died at the scene. In statements at the time, Sussex Police said her family said Cheryl was a “kind-hearted, caring and loving person, always there for people and always putting others before herself.”
Sussex Police also said how witnesses described Majors erratic and dangerous driving between leaving the hotel and the collision, which included overtaking and undertaking other vehicles at high speed. Majors was also injured and taken to hospital, with a blood test showing him to be over the limit for cannabis.
At Lewes Crown Court earlier this month (April 19), Majors admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced. In a Victim Personal Statement, Cheryl’s brother William Brookes, 38, of Eastbourne, thanked the emergency services who responded to the incident.
He said: “Cheryl was the life and soul of every party, she was the glue that held us all together. Her children are devastated and her grandchildren will grow up without knowing their grandmother.”
Speaking after the case, PC Dave Symonds from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “It is never just a crash, especially for those left picking up the pieces. Majors has caused the events that led to the death of Cheryl Brookes, which could have been easily avoided.
“This case shows the dangers of driving while over the prescribed limit for drugs, and highlights the responsibility of drivers to drive safely, in order to protect other road users, themselves and their passengers. The family of Cheryl will carry their loss forever.
"The fatal five is not just a slogan, but a message to educate drivers of the five main causes of fatalities on our roads. By driving correctly it could mean that one less family receives the worst news imaginable from a knock at their door by the police.”
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