A Mercedes driver who killed a woman in a 140mph crash on Christmas Day has been jailed for 12 years and banned from driving for 18 years.
Evan Forde, 32, did ‘absolutely nothing’ to help police or the victim’s family, the judge said.
Forde was behind the wheel of a black Mercedes when he crashed into the back of a BMW early on December 25, 2022.
Maria Carolina Do Nascimento, 22, who was a passenger in the BMW, died at the scene in Brent Cross, north London.
The accident happened on a 40mph stretch of Hendon Way at around 3.45am after Forde had reached speeds of more than 140mph, the Old Bailey heard.
Defence solicitor Tasmin Malcolm said Forde had shown ‘true and genuine’ remorse for his actions, but the judge said he did ‘absolutely nothing’ to help assist the police in the aftermath.
In mitigation, Tasmin Malcolm, for the defence, said Forde had shown “true and genuine remorse” for his actions.
Judge Philip Katz KC added: ‘He did absolutely nothing to bring closure or understanding to the family.’
Sentencing, the judge said of Ms Do Nascimento: ‘The fact that her family and friends have had to wait nearly three years for Maria’s killer to be brought to justice is shameful.’
He went on to criticise the defendant for failing to assist the police investigation, adding that Forde’s ‘unforthcoming attitude’ had meant further forensic work had to be undertaken.
Prosecutor Frederick Hookway said that CCTV and video from Forde’s phone that had been found in the car showed that he had been at a nightclub in Camden in the hours before the incident.
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Hookway told the court that Forde had 10 previous convictions for 14 offences, including dangerous driving, and that at the time of the collision, he was on bail having been charged with failing to provide a specimen.
The court heard that shortly before the crash, police officers on patrol in a marked vehicle had indicated for the defendant’s car to stop.
Body-worn footage, played at the hearing, showed a police officer who had stopped the Mercedes with his hand on the door handle being dragged around six to eight feet along the road as the vehicle sped off.
Less than a minute later, the Mercedes had crashed into the BMW Do Nascimento was travelling in, the prosecutor said.
Video footage played to the court showed several individuals fleeing the Mercedes after the collision as the vehicle appeared to be smoking.
London Ambulance Service attended, but Do Nascimento died at the scene.
Her mother, Clezi Felizari, described her daughter as someone with a ‘generous heart’ who ‘touched everyone around her’.
‘On Christmas morning, I received the worst news a mother can ever hear – my daughter had lost her life in a crash caused by recklessness,’ she said in a statement.
‘From that moment, my life stopped. Riding in a car has become a torment because I relive the way Maria died.’
Do Nascimento’s step-father, Clayton Felizari, said it was ‘impossible to put into words the pain and emptiness’ caused by her death.
‘Maria was our joy and our future, now we live with the emptiness of knowing we will never see our daughter marry, we will never have grandchildren,’ he said.
‘Since then, every Christmas has become a nightmare,’ he added.
Wearing a black short-sleeved top, Forde appeared in the dock and spoke to confirm his identity in front of Do Nascimento’s family members.
He wiped his eyes with a tissue and waved to people in the public gallery after the sentence was passed.
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