Image source, West Yorkshire Police
Jason Ward was jailed for eight years and four months
A drunk driver who killed the mother of a Leeds Knights hockey player while speeding in Leeds has been jailed.
Vanessa Barnes, 59, from Rossendale, Lancashire, was hit by a van on Elland Road in December 2022.
Jason Ward, 52, of Throstle Road, Middleton, admitted causing death by dangerous driving while over the limit and leaving the scene of a collision.
On Thursday, he was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison at Leeds Crown Court.
Mrs Barnes had been watching her son Adam play at Planet Ice rink on 10 December.
After leaving at about 19:30 GMT she was walking along the pavement when she was struck by a Ford Transit van.
Ward got out of the van and then moved the vehicle before running away.
A passing police officer attempted to help Mrs Barnes, but she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics a short time later.
Ward was identified as the van driver and arrested the following day.
Police discovered he had spent the three hours before the collision drinking six pints of lager.
Image source, Family photograph
Vanessa Barnes’ son said she had been taken from her family by Ward’s “irresponsible actions”
In a victim impact statement, Adam Barnes said his mum had been an “extraordinary person who treated everyone with love and kindness”.
He said the night she was killed he had been playing hockey for a team he had been part of for three years.
“My mum and dad had worked immensely hard and made so many sacrifices to enable me to play hockey at national league level,” he said.
“My mum came to every game and never missed an opportunity to tell me how proud she was.
“She would stand, week on week, with my grandma, on the same bench jumping and screaming with excitement.”
He said after every game his mum would wait for for him to hug him and say goodbye.
“Little did I know that that night would be our final goodbye before she was brutally killed by a coward who left her in the road to die with no care or compassion.”
He said she would be “missed every single day” and although Ward would serve his sentence there would be “no limit to the never-ending suffering and grief” of the family.
In addition to his jail term, Ward was banned from driving for 11 years and six months.
Det Con Mark Turner said Ward has done everything possible to avoid accepting responsibility for his actions until he pleaded guilty at the last minute.
“Despite drinking and clearly being over the drink drive limit, he got behind the wheel of his van without any consideration for other road users or pedestrians.
“After colliding with Vanessa, he continued to think only of himself, making off from the scene to avoid the police.”
