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15:20 GMT, Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Toddler crash death driver jailed

A woman who killed a 15-month-old boy when she lost control of her car has been jailed for seven years.

Katie Gutierrez-Perez, 40, had admitted causing the death by dangerous driving of Finlay Woods in Chingford, east London, in September.

Gutierrez-Perez was drunk when she crashed her car, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Finlay was with his mother and grandmother in Cavendish Road when the car mounted the kerb and hit them.

Witnesses said the 4x4 car could be seen snaking down the road, and it clipped the wing mirrors of two cars before swerving into the school's railings and killing Finlay.

Financial difficulties

In sentencing the former restaurateur, Judge Timothy King said: "I acknowledge that you have to live with Finlay's death on your conscience for the rest of your life, but your criminal behaviour that afternoon will have left its mark on this family for the rest of their lives."

The mother-of-two was driving to hospital after a failed suicide attempt, the court heard. Finlay Woods

She was one-and-a-half times above the legal alcohol limit and had also taken 14 sleeping tablets in an effort to kill herself after she got into financial difficulties following the break-up of her 18-year marriage.

Moments before the crash in September last year, a car tax inspector had tried to stop her driving the vehicle.

The inspector found Gutierrez-Perez's car was declared off the road and also discovered her rear tyre was dangerously low on pressure.

But while he called for a tow truck, she sped off, having changed her mind about suicide for the sake of her two teenage children and decided to drive herself to hospital for treatment.

In a statement Finlay's mother Tina Woods, 31, said: "No sentence given out today could make up for his death and our loss.

"In today's society everyone seems fond of giving excuses rather than taking responsibility for their actions.

"We sincerely hope the woman that caused this will never forget the pain and loss that she has caused. We know that we never can."

Outside court, Gutierrez-Perez's son Michael said he would like it to be known how sorry the family was for what happened.



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Related to this story:
'Relief' over driver's sentence (03 Dec 08 |  London )
Driver charged after baby's death (19 Sep 08 |  London )

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