The boyfriend of a young woman killed by a driver high on drink and drugs says the pain of her loss is so great he wishes he had died instead.
Ben Evans, 20, made an emotional speech in court as the man who drove into and killed Bryony Hollands in Woodthorpe was sent to prison for eight years.
Bryony and Ben were walking along Woodthorpe Drive on August 21 when a Mercedes mounted the kerb and ploughed into them.
Bryony, 19, died despite attempts to resuscitate her, and Ben was left seriously injured.
The driver of the car, Thomas Burney, was arrested at the scene and tests showed he had been drinking and taking cocaine before the crash.
He admitted causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving and sat in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday while Ben and members of Bryony’s family read out statements on how the tragedy had affected them.
He has destroyed our future
Ben said Burney had killed the girl he was “head over heels for”.
He said: “I feel anger towards him, he has destroyed our future. I wish every day it had been me.
“We had so many plans together to travel and they have been taken away from us. Knowing I was the last person to see Bryony is horrible.”
The couple had been visiting Ben’s mother in Nottingham to celebrate her fiftieth Birthday on the day of the crash.
Picture: Bryony was a talented music student
Burney, 26, was estimated to have been speeding at 60 to 70 mph before hitting the curb.
Ben was taken to hospital after the incident and was left with injuries including a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, a broken cheekbone, and a left temple fracture which has left him permanently death in his left ear.
The couple had studied together at the University of Sheffield on a music course. Bryony was from Berkshire and had been hoping to become a music therapist.
Picture: Thomas Burney admitted causing death and serious injury by driving
As he handed down the sentence Judge James Sampson told Burney he got out of the car after the crash “only thinking of himself”, as he had discarded a syringe in a hedge and deleted information on his phone to try to hide his drug use.
He said: “You destroyed one life and devastated so many. The loss to her family is unmeasurable.”
After the hearing, Bryony’s father Mark said he had “very little” feelings towards Burney, saying: “There’s nothing that can bring Bryony back.”
Since her death Bryony’s family have been fundraising for music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins and have so far raised more than £4,000 online through a Donate in Memory page, plus a further £2,000 offline.
