Gainsborough woman jailed over couple’s death after crash in Marton

Claire Parker, from Juniper Way, Gainsborough, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and disqualified from driving for six years and three months after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

During the hearing Lincoln Crown Court heard how two people died when a BMW M5 car, driven by Claire Parker, collided with a Vauxhall Astra on the A156 at Marton, after she carried out an overtake of two cars and a double decker bus, around 5pm on Thursday, December 5, 2019.

Tragically, Stephen Edwardson, 46-years-old, and Heather Locking, 39-years-old, lost their lives as a result of the crash.

Stephen Edwardson was driving his Vauxhall Astra south, towards Lincoln, when he would have been confronted by the white BMW travelling towards him on his side of the road.

Driving her vehicle on the A156, towards Gainsborough, Parker commenced an overtake manoeuvre of two cars and a double decker bus.

Before she could complete the overtake she collided head-on with the Vauxhall Astra.

There was no forward sight for Parker and she contravened a double solid white line to overtake the vehicles.

Flying debris from the Vauxhall Astra pierced through a lower deck window of the double decker bus.

There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the collision.

Parker was seriously injured and was taken to hospital.

The road was closed for several hours while emergency services attended.

Detective Sergeant Emma Ward, Serious Collision Investigation Unit, Lincolnshire Police, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Stephen and Heather who both died in this collision.

"There are no words for such a tragic loss of life.

"To overtake on this section of road, where it is clear there are double solid white lines, is beyond belief.

"There is no excuse at all and the consequences of Ms Parker’s actions have been devastating."The length of the sentence will never reflect the sadness that two people have lost their lives by the actions of Claire Parker.”

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