Family’s pain as driver jailed for crash that killed Gemma Whitehead in South Rauceby

The family of a mother killed in a drink-driving crash say they are heartbroken after the driver was jailed for over seven years.

Gemma Whitehead, 38, died after the BMW X4 she was travelling in crashed into a tree on Cliffe View, South Rauceby, just after midnight on January 3 last year.

Driver Samuel Simpkins, 39, had been drinking and taking cocaine before getting behind the wheel, despite having no licence or insurance.

Lincoln Crown Court jailed Simpkins today (Friday, February 21) for seven years and four months after he admitted causing death by careless driving while unfit through drink.

He was also banned from driving for seven years, with an extended retest required upon his release.

Gemma’s mother said the loss of her daughter had left the family in a “permanent state of shock”.

“My heart has been truly broken.

“I will never forget her beautiful and gorgeous face, her ever-giving smile, her gentle hands, and her voice that was always soft to my ears.

“I have shed so many tears every single day and will for the rest of my life. No-one can imagine the hurt and continual loss of losing a child, no matter what age.

“The trauma that Sam Simpkins has inflicted upon this family is immense.

“His life just ticks over; ours has been blown away. Every day we will continue to love Gemma for the kind, caring, and beautiful daughter that she was – we will love her forever.”

The court heard Mrs Whitehead had been driving but let Simpkins take the wheel for five minutes.

Simpkins lost control on a straight stretch of road, sending the BMW 30m off the road before it hit a tree.

A forensic investigation confirmed there were no mechanical faults with the car, and police determined that drink and drugs were the likely causes of the crash.

Simpkins gave a reading of 55 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath (legal limit 35).

In court, his defence lawyer said he had been struggling with substance abuse following the breakdown of a relationship.

A forensic investigation confirmed there were no mechanical faults with the car, and police determined that drink and drugs were the likely causes of the crash.

Gemma, a mother of two, had been in the process of emigrating to New Zealand with her family before the tragedy.

Detective Sergeant Kate Johnston, from Lincolnshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We may never fully know why this happened, and the only conclusion we can draw is that the drink and drugs in Simpkins’s body were the contributory causes.

“The dangers of driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs cannot be overstated.

“The impact of both legal and illegal substances on an individual’s abilities is clearly demonstrated in this case, where control was lost on a straight section of road.

“I can only reiterate that drink- and drug-driving wrecks lives, and on this occasion, Gemma has sadly lost her life as a result of Simpkins’s actions.”

Gemma’s mother, addressing Simpkins directly in court, asked: “How can you justify what you did?”

Her husband, Mark Whitehead, told the court he could not understand why Simpkins drove after drinking and taking drugs.

He said Simpkins’s silence in his police interview had also made matters worse for the family.

"I still do not know why he was driving my car," Mark added.

He said the crash had destroyed their future plans and left him with financial difficulties, as insurers would not pay out for the car since it was being driven by Simpkins.

“He's completely ruined my life, and the children will now grow up without their mother,” he said.