A GRIEF-stricken father, whose daughter was killed by a drunken driver in a horrific head-on smash, welcomed the length of his eight-year sentence and then added: "Let's hope he is sat there thinking of what he has caused to our family."
Brian Fisher-Lathwell, 57, who had to give up his job as a coach driver because he had to drive past the scene of her death on a busy Isle of Wight road, broke down as he said: "We want to get away from everyone who says it's going to get better because it's got worse."
Thomas Rudge 24, was convicted of causing the death of his daughter, Laura, by careless driving when over the prescribed drink-driving limit.
He had been drinking for much of the day in a Freshwater pub before he drove his friend's car towards Newport late at night, only to cross the road on a bend at Calbourne and crash into the legal secretary's car coming in the opposite direction.
As she lay dying in the wreckage of her Vauxhall Tigra, Rudge clambered into the back seat of the Citreon ZX and concocted a story that he and his drinking pal Andrew Davidson had been hitch-hikers and the real driver had run off. It was not until 48 hours later in a bedside confession to his brother, an Isle of Wight police officer, that he admitted he had been at the wheel.
Yesterday Rudge, of Madeira Road, Colwell Bay, Freshwater, was given six and a half years for the death charge and then a consecutive 18 months for attempting to pervert the course of justice, which he had admitted before his trial at Southampton Crown Court.
Passing sentence, Judge John Boggis QC said: "It is every parent's nightmare, the police calling on your doorstep in the early hours, your child has been seriously injured in a car crash."
He was satisfied Rudge had been drinking for most of the day and knowing what he was doing, drove when he was uninsured and lost control of his car, hitting Miss Fisher-Lathwell almost head on.
"But you still had your wits about you and with callous cowardice, you got into the rear seat and made up a story two other people were driving.
"I have no doubt about this - you pretended amnesia and refused to say what happened. Your conduct was contemptible. No sentence can bring back Laura.
"No sentence can be seen measuring her life against your punishment," he told Rudge, who had stared at the floor as the verdict was returned.
After the case, Mr Fisher-Lathwell, who lives in Ryde, said they were pleased with the sentence and complimented the judge and the police.
He said of Rudge: "He left our daughter to die.
"He had a mobile phone and he didn't ring the emergency services. I think that says what type of character he is."
Mr Fisher-Lathwell added: "Let's hope that he sits there thinking of what he has done to our family."
Rudge, cleared of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving, was banned for ten years and told he must take an extended retest.
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