Driver jailed for killing nurses

Graham Travers was branded a 'petulant child' by the judge

A driver who killed two nursery nurses while over the drink drive limit has been jailed for five and a half years.

Barman Graham Travers admitted killing Natalie McCabe, 21, from Shoreham, and Victoria Browne, 19, from Brighton, in a crash near Hove seafront last October.

Travers, 21, of Shelldale Road, Portslade, admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Lewes Crown Court heard Travers had been one-and-a-half times the drink drive limit and driving at about 60mph.

Like a petulant child you indulged your temper... using that most dangerous of weapons a motor car Mrs Justice Rafferty

Travers, who suffered only minor injuries, also admitted in February driving with excess alcohol and having no insurance or driving licence.

But he denied failing to stop after the crash and that charge was dropped by the prosecution.

The court heard he was driving a borrowed Ford Mondeo when he offered three women a lift home.

He crashed the car into a barrier and it rolled onto its roof, leaving Miss McCabe and Miss Browne with injuries from which they died.

A third woman lost part of her leg in the crash

Miss Browne worked as the nanny to celebrity couple Zoe Ball and Norman Cook's son Woody.

The third passenger, 20-year-old Becky Fish, survived but had to have part of her leg amputated.

At Thursday's sentencing, the court heard Travers had been driving in an "agitated" manner after having an argument with his girlfriend earlier.

Jailing him, Mrs Justice Rafferty told Travers: "Your driving was an exercise in arrogance.

"Like a petulant child you indulged your temper, but you did so using that most dangerous of weapons, a motor car.

"It's not accurate to say you have ruined three lives, those of your victims, since you have blighted many more."

Angry family

Insp Simon Labbett of Sussex Police said: "From the outset it was clear that this was a most horrific incident to investigate and it touched everyone that has been involved or witnessed the event.

"We are pleased that the case has been satisfactorily concluded and the families are now able to have some form of closure and begin to rebuild lives."

The victims' families reacted angrily to the sentence handed to Travers.

Jane McCabe, Natalie's mother, said: "I don't see any apparent remorse, I see somebody who is only 21 who will probably be back out living normally in two years' time.

"In two years' time we will not have our daughter back."

Travers was also banned from driving for five years.