Delivery driver, 19, fell asleep at wheel of her work van before ploughing it head-on into car of couple after weekend of taking cocaine – as she is jailed over their deaths

A teenager who fell asleep at the wheel of her van and then hit an elderly couple while under the influence of cocaine has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison.

Jessica Higgs, then 19, had cocaine in her system 36 hours after using the drug at a weekend party in May 2023.

On Friday, Higgs, now 20, was jailed after admitting causing death by reckless driving while over the limit of a controlled substance.

Taunton Crown Court heard that Higgs had driven from Salisbury, Wiltshire, to Axminster, Devon, and that the journey had taken two hours.

After that she took a nap and a break before starting her return journey.

But while driving her Mercedes van on the A303 at Camel Hill near Yeovilton, Somerset, she fell asleep at the wheel and ended up in the 50mph carriageway, into the westbound lane of Tony Mist and his partner Thelma Huse, both aged 69.

The court heard that Higgs, from Warminster, Wilts, had been driving before she fell asleep.

After the crash, she was pulled out of the van by another driver. She told him, “I fell asleep.”

Higgs, from Warminster, had a blood test at 8pm that day which showed her blood level of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, was above the prescribed limit.

Father of two, Mr Mist, died at the scene and grandmother of five, Mrs Huse, died in hospital the following day.

The couple, both aged 69, from Mytchett, Surrey, were travelling to Charmouth, Dorset, for a glamping trip to celebrate Mr Mist’s 70th birthday two days later.

Their relatives were present in court and gave personal statements to the judge.

They said their deaths were “completely preventable” and that they “left this world in the most heartless manner.”

The apprentice electrical engineer pleaded guilty to two charges of causing death by reckless driving and driving under the influence of drugs.

Judge Paul Cook sentenced her to prison and banned her from driving for five years from her release.

Defence lawyer Malcolm Galloway told the court that Higgs, who has no previous convictions, had only had her driving licence for nine months.

He said she had used cocaine at a party on Saturday night and left for work early Monday morning after going to bed early.

He told her, “There was a catastrophic head-on collision that resulted in their deaths. You were also injured.

‘What all the impact statements make clear is the heartbreaking devastation that the family members and their loved ones have endured.

“They say these were two people who had so much more to offer.”

The judge said character statements about Higgs described her as caring, loving and attentive.

He added: ‘You may have recovered physically, but you are consumed by guilt and remorse and you are portrayed as a shadow of the person you were.’

The judge said Higgs, who cried throughout the hearing, was driving within the speed limit and that other motorists noticed nothing unusual until the van swerved across the road.

He told Higgs: ‘I understand you didn’t know you still had cocaine in your blood, but the fact that you fell asleep was a result of being over-tired.’

The court heard that Higgs went to a party on May 13 and took cocaine. The last time he took the drug was in the early hours of May 14, around 36 hours before the crash.

She went to bed early that day and woke at 6am before being picked up for work at 6.25am. Later that morning she was given the task of driving her work van from Salisbury to Axminster.

Higgs collected a water pump in Axminster and took an hour’s rest before driving back to Salisbury at 2pm.

Prosecutor Rupert Russell said Mist did not have the “time or space to avoid the collision” when Higgs’ van crossed the white line.

He told the court that Higgs had been taking cocaine “all night from Saturday to Sunday”, which left her tired.

“It’s clearly fatigue that led to this tragedy,” Russell said.

The court heard that Mr Mist and Ms Huse had been together for 30 years and that they would both have celebrated their 70th birthdays shortly after the collision.

Mrs Huse’s daughter Kate Cory told how they travelled to Charmouth ‘for a long-awaited glamping holiday’ for Mr Mist’s birthday, before celebrating Mrs Huse’s birthday with a theatre trip.

She added: ‘Their 30-year love story came to an abrupt end far too soon and that is something none of us will ever get over.’

Malcolm Galloway, representing Higgs, said she was 19 years old at the time of the collision and had only held her driving licence for nine months.

“The remorse is genuine,” Mr Galloway said. “If she could turn back time, of course she would.”

Outside court, Jim Huse, Ms Huse’s ex-husband, spoke on behalf of the victims’ families and said they were “devastated by the completely avoidable actions of Jessica Higgs”.

“We hope others learn from this because no journey is as important as taking it when your brain is compromised by the effects of drugs,” he said.

Tony Hall, a constable with Avon and Somerset Police, added: ‘It is the responsibility of every motorist to ensure they are fit to drive before getting behind the wheel and it is clear that Higgs was not.

‘This is another painful and devastating reminder that driving under the influence of drugs is a deadly decision that puts yourself and innocent road users at serious risk.’