A man drove at speeds exceeding 100mph and crashed into a mother, resulting in her tragic death before fleeing the scene on foot.

Ryan Scott struck Claire Laybourne, 39, as she was returning home from a Christmas theater outing in December last year. Despite efforts from emergency services to save the mother of two at the collision site in Holystone, North Tyneside, she succumbed to serious injuries in the hospital the following day.

Scott admitted guilt to causing Claire’s death through dangerous driving, driving without a license or insurance, and causing severe injury to Claire’s mother, who was with her in the vehicle during the incident.

Following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court, the 28-year-old was sentenced to ten years in prison. He was also prohibited from driving for 13 years and eight months. The court learned that Scott was traveling at 112mph just before the accident, with his car’s braking system only reducing the speed to 90mph, still 20mph over the limit.

A witness described the Skoda as moving at an “unbelievable speed” in the rain, likening the crash sound to an explosion. Prosecution mentioned that Scott abandoned the car, fled on foot, and did not look back.

He was apprehended after an investigation by Northumbria Police’s Roads Policing Team and Serious Collision Investigation Unit.

Claire’s 22-year-old daughter expressed in a poignant statement that her mother was her “best friend” who embraced everyone for who they were. She lamented the sudden, violent, and unjust nature of her mother’s death, expressing the pain of not being able to bid farewell.

Claire’s partner, Ben Dewar, shared their plans to marry in September, highlighting the anguish of informing their son about his mother’s impending death.

The grieving mother of Claire, who survived the crash but sustained injuries, expressed profound sorrow for outliving her daughter, emphasizing the unbearable loss to Claire’s partner, daughter, and son.