Drug Driver Jailed for 12 Years After Killing Woman in 80 mph Crash

A driver who sped down a residential street at more than 80 mph in the wrong lane has been jailed after killing a woman outside her home in Plymouth. Dwayne Arney, 34, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court and admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while unlicensed and uninsured, and possession of a Class A drug.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and banned from driving for 18 years.

The crash occurred on 17 December 2024 on Ham Drive.

Rosemary Wooldridge, 60, was arriving home in her Ford Fiesta when the Audi A4 Quattro driven by Arney veered onto the wrong side of the road and struck her vehicle head-on. Wooldridge suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene. Court records showed Arney drove between 81 and 85 mph in a 30 mph zone.

He ignored his passenger's pleas to slow down, passed a parked ambulance, then lost control. After the collision he fled the scene and was arrested more than two miles away at his home in South Brent, where he attempted to swallow a wrap of cocaine.

Tests later confirmed he was under the influence of drugs and had no license or insurance.

The judge described Arney's driving as ludicrous and his actions after the crash as cowardly and callous. Police described the case as one of the most serious examples of dangerous driving they had encountered. Wooldridge's family said she was the heart of their family, a devoted mother, cherished daughter, much-loved sister, deeply adored grandmother, treasured aunt, and proud fiancée.

They described her as full of warmth, mischief, and a love for life, noting that her death left a loss impossible to measure. Arney, of Middle Green, South Brent, was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court.