Grieving husband speaks of pride in his daughters
3:42pm Tuesday 26th February 2013 in News
The family and friends of Diane Wright look on as her Husband David Wright reads a statement to the press after today's court case
The husband of a woman killed by a speeding drink driver has told of how nothing in his 35-year police career had prepared him for coping with the aftermath of his wife's death.
David Wright said Paula Barnes had robbed him of the love of his life when she crashed head-on into his wife Diane's car in September 2010.
She was jailed for more than eight years after Swindon Crown Court heard how she was speeding at up to 100mph while two-and-a-half times the legal drink drive limit at Foxhill in Baydon, near Marlborough.
In an emotionally-charged three page victim impact statement presented to the judge at Swindon Crown, Mr Wright wrote of his loss.
"Diane was a fantastic wife, friend, mother and work colleague. There is not a day goes by without us all thinking of her and no words can express just how much we miss her, other than to say that our lives have been utterly devastated and that we miss her terribly," he wrote.
"Diane left for work and never came back. She was on her way home from work to be with her family.
"She never completed this journey owing to Paula Barnes being drunk and driving erratically on the wrong side of the road in a powerful car.
"She drove straight into my wife and killed her instantly. At the same time she killed the hopes and dreams of so many other people."
Mr Wright is an officer with the Met Police and was married for 23 years and together they had two daughters Tracey and Lucy.
"I have spent 35 years dealing with serious and at times tragic incidents. As a consequence I thought myself to be fairly robust," he wrote.
"However, I have had take a considerable amount of time off sick and go for counselling as a direct result of this matter.
"My confidence has been affected but I have had to remain strong for the sake of our daughters.
"Despite this, inside I have been falling apart, so much so that I have had to ask for help.
"We were a strong close family until the day Paula Barnes tore this family apart killing Diane.
"She then compounded matters by prolonging our agony and skipping bail to live abroad.
"This showed her absolute disdain for us, her failure to accept responsibility and her total lack of remorse.
"Our daughter Lucy was unfortunate to come across the incident and was told by police at the scene that her mum was dead.
"She will have to live with the sight of the mangled wreckage where her mother was killed for the rest of her life.
"I cannot imagine how it must have felt to have to look on helplessly as the emergency services did all they could.
"Standing there at side of road with no-one to turn and no shoulder to cry on. It must have been awful."
Mr Wright spoke of how his daughters how struggled with their studies following the death of their mother.
At the time Tracey was at Plymouth University studying illustration while Lucy was half-way through her A-levels.
Tracey has since graduated with first class honours while Lucy has now gone to the same university to study geography.
"The fact that they have both gone on to do so well in their lives is testimony to their characters," he wrote.
"I am so proud of them both and I know that Diane would be too."
Mr Wright continued: "From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed there is a gaping whole in my life.
"I often wake up in my sleep thinking that she is still alive only to turn over in the realisation that she is no longer with me. I miss her and love her dearly.
"Paula Barnes's actions has taken away much of my families future. I know that Diane really looking forward to seeing both Tracey and Lucy graduate from university.
"She often talked about them both getting married and settling down.
Sadly now my girls will not have the support of their mother at any future events.
"As for me, I do not know what the future holds. I intend to stay with the Metropolitan Police at least until Lucy has finished her degree.
"Diane and I were looking forward to both retiring and embarking on a cruise or a bit of travelling.
"None of our dreams or aspirations are now possible due to a stupid, drunken, inconsiderate woman.
"I don't think that she will ever learn the extent of what she has done and the affect she has had on so many people - many of whom are in court today.
"Paula Barnes killed a wonderful wife and a wonderful mother. I want her to know that, I want her to know that for the rest of her life."
Comments(24)
TinkeyWinkey
says...
7:00pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Sentance for Paula Barnes - not long enough for depriving a husband of his wife and daughters of their mother.
Drink-drivers are the scum of the earth
Localboy86
says...
7:09pm Tue 26 Feb 13
jezercalne
says...
7:21pm Tue 26 Feb 13
wiltshireboy8121
says...
7:55pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Ifyoudontlikeswindon-move!
says...
8:03pm Tue 26 Feb 13
and continued to live a luxury life - enjoying her hobby of horse riding which is how they found her.
She showed no remorse
dukeofM4
says...
8:11pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Her behaviour was undoubtedly reckless.
However I don't know if anyone would agree or disagree, but I get some vibes that there is a shift in the attitudes towards drink driving where increasingly people are inclined the risk to drive.
The campaigns of the 80s to 00s seems to have faded somewhat.
If road deaths due to drink driving are down, it may have more to do with better safety equipment and better medical treatment not less drink driving.
jezercalne
says...
9:30pm Tue 26 Feb 13
house on the hill
says...
9:44pm Tue 26 Feb 13
jax66
says...
10:11pm Tue 26 Feb 13
notscot
says...
10:42pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Should be zero tolerance - if you're driving then you don't drink.
Localboy86
says...
11:21pm Tue 26 Feb 13
house on the hill wrote:I agree. However in view of most of the sentances you see handed out to people who kill from behind the wheel, this one seems u unuseual?
Will be out in just over 4 then and presumably back driving soon after that. I wonder how the posters would feel if it was there wife and in 5 years time this woman drove by and stuck 2 fingers up, would you feel justice had been done???? I dont think so, typical double standards of todays world, if it isnt happening to you then its ok. what a horrendous message that sends to the hundreds of thousands who drink and drive and think they are above the law.
wondering why
says...
11:29pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Localboy86
says...
11:33pm Tue 26 Feb 13
well oill beef hooked
says...
3:29am Wed 27 Feb 13
RichardR1
says...
7:21am Wed 27 Feb 13
Also as has been said there will always be those who will D&D come what may so all reducing the limit will do is catch more people.
I believe the science has shown that the level used in the UK has been shown to be a level below which ability is not significantly or dangerously impaired.
Having a loved one killed will always bring out raw emotions, it does seem though the lady could well have been sentenced with more to do with other activities, if one compares similar incidents and sentencing.
house on the hill
says...
8:23am Wed 27 Feb 13
7:21am Wed 27 Feb 13
Interesting comments. I am not going to specifically comment on the sentence itself in relation to the drink driving. However how many making comments are either anti alcohol or hypocrites who perhaps go down the pub in the evening then get up early the next morning trusting to luck they either won't be stopped or are not still legally drunk.
Also as has been said there will always be those who will D&D come what may so all reducing the limit will do is catch more people.
I believe the science has shown that the level used in the UK has been shown to be a level below which ability is not significantly or dangerously impaired.
Having a loved one killed will always bring out raw emotions, it does seem though the lady could well have been sentenced with more to do with other activities, if one compares similar incidents and sentencing.”"""
Typical Bollux from the self imposed god of the adver. You might find a lot of those who are anti alcohol are that way because if the disgusting way victims and thier families are treated in this sort of incident. Personally I dont drink but I am not anti alcohol I am anti alcohol abuse and the pathetic sentences handed out in the name of justice. Maybe if it was your wife and this woman came into your pub in 5 years time drinking away as if nothing had happened even your stone heart may think differently.
Whether it is a loved one killed or not, the ludicrous notion that the guilty should be given an expensive tax payer funded second chance that is not afforded the innocent victim is not justice, it is an insult to every man woman and child that life is cheap and meaningless. Maybe you would like to go face to face with the husband with your views? I bet not!
thenoose
says...
8:47am Wed 27 Feb 13
If you drink and drive, it is premeditated and should at least be manslaughter with the maximum sentence of life inside.
Highworth Lad
says...
12:42pm Wed 27 Feb 13
Culpable homicide is committed where the accused has caused loss of life through wrongful conduct, but where there was no intention to kill. It is an offence under common law and is roughly equivalent to the offence of manslaughter in English law.
There are other various countries that have it too, Like south Africa
lordbuckethead
says...
1:48pm Wed 27 Feb 13
jezercalne wrote:No - it has to be deliberate and premeditated.
Isn't this murder?
Yes it was reckless, yes she is scum, and yes a bullet is too good for her (imho) - but that's what the law says.
Tim Newroman
says...
5:07pm Wed 27 Feb 13
thenoose wrote:The sentence is too lenient, but - sadly - it's actually quite lengthy when compared to those handed down for similar crimes.
The law in this country needs changing. If you shoot someone dead you will get over 30yrs, if you stab them dead you will get 15-20yrs, yet if you drink and kill someone with a car you get 6-8yrs. Plus you will only do half of that.
If you drink and drive, it is premeditated and should at least be manslaughter with the maximum sentence of life inside.
In fact, this sentence is lengthier than many convicts receive for manslaughter.
It says much about the horrendously lenient sentencing policies in the UK that 8 years is comparatively fairly harsh for this particular criminal.
With any luck, increased public awareness of these disgracefully lenient sentences will, eventually, lead to forced changes in the law, sentencing guidelines and the manner in which judges are allowed to interpret them. We can but hope.
notscot
says...
6:30pm Wed 27 Feb 13
It all comes down to cost.
Is it worthwhile to prosecute?
Is it considered cost effective to imprison?
And the govt. are advising that judges consider carefully and exhaust other avenues prior to handing down custodials.
Hope, I'm afraid - is futile - this situation will only get worse.
Tim Newroman
says...
8:14am Thu 28 Feb 13
notscot wrote:@notscot: absolutely spot on, unfortunately.
Increased public awarewness versus govt. guidlines to the judiciary?
It all comes down to cost.
Is it worthwhile to prosecute?
Is it considered cost effective to imprison?
And the govt. are advising that judges consider carefully and exhaust other avenues prior to handing down custodials.
Hope, I'm afraid - is futile - this situation will only get worse.
One of the biggest failings of the coalition government has been their refusal to correct the undue leniency and poor decisions of the judiciary that began under Labour.
The failed experiment of showing leniency to criminals has cost hundreds of people their lives and resulted in literally millions of entirely preventable crimes taking place, blighting the lives of just about everyone - on some level - in this country.
And yet we're still forced to fund this nonsense, a nonsense that only a tiny minority of people still support and believe is the correct way to deal with crime and criminals.
Both Labour and the current government should have embarked on a prison building programme many years ago. It is abundantly clear that we need at least a further 50,000 to 100,000 prison spaces as a matter of urgency. That means we need around a further 50 prisons immediately. Such a programme would create a huge amount of jobs and actually save us money, as the cost of a prolific criminal outside of prison is much higher than the cost of keeping them behind bars.
The disgraceful truth is similar to the reason why so many murders are charged as manslaughter. It's easier not to build prisons and it flatters the government's/nation'
s international crime statistics to keep criminals on the streets rather than in prison, where they should be.
The authorities also like to try and have their (fictitious) cake and eat it. They tell us that 'rehabilitation' works (despite their own statistics clearly showing that it largely doesn't work at all) and yet also try and do all they can to keep criminals out of prison - which is the only place their failed 'rehabilitation' drivel takes place.
The coalition have failed on law and order. Yet it would be simple to change all of this and move to a system that protects and supports the victims of crime and the public rather than the criminals:
Build 50,000 more prison spaces and move to a system of locally elected judges. The crime rate would plummet to within a year. Even now, only around 10% of all crime is committed by people with no previous record, so if the majority of those with multiple convictions are safely under lock and key, the crime rate would dwindle to almost nothing.
Also, under the system above, those who are out to commit crime would think twice - unlike now, where they know they have precisely nothing to fear from the police and, especially, our courtrooms.
RichardR1
says...
10:17am Thu 28 Feb 13
As I don't have a pub she is hardly likely to come in.
jezercalne says...
6:21pm Tue 26 Feb 13