'Distracted' doctor killed Jessica Howe in M11 crash

A "distracted" doctor caused a crash which killed a woman on her way home from a Christmas party, a court heard.

Dr Jane Maraka struck the car in front of her on the M11 on 16 December 2018, causing it to spin into a tree and kill passenger Jessica Howe, 22.

A judge said "in all probability" Maraka had been distracted by her two young children.

Maraka, 33, of Newcastle, was given a suspended jail term after admitting causing death by careless driving.

Cambridge Crown Court heard Maraka's Mercedes hit the near side of the Nissan Ms Howe was in, causing it to veer left off the road, where it rolled and struck a tree.

Prosecutor Marti Blair said Maraka, a trainee consultant plastic surgeon, was heard at the scene, near Cambridge, saying "I clipped her".

Ms Howe, of Dunmow, Essex, suffered head injuries and died in hospital the following day.

Ms Howe's father, Ian, said his daughter was "gorgeous, inside and out, funny, quirky and full of life" and that they were now in "living hell".

Mitigating, Miranda Moore QC, said Maraka, of Simonburn Avenue, had shown "immediate remorse".

Judge Farrell QC said: "I have no doubt that you [Maraka] must have been distracted, in all probability by the children which had been in the back of the vehicle."

Sentencing her to eight months, suspended for a year, Judge Farrell said there had been an "unacceptable delay" in getting the case through the court process, which had caused an "intolerable strain" on all those involved.

Sgt Mark Dollard said: "Our sympathies go to the family and friends of Jessica Howe following this tragic incident where a young woman needlessly lost her life.

"Investigations of this nature are extremely complex and require a considerable amount of work from officers to establish the cause of a collision and gather the evidence required to bring a prosecution."