Driver jailed 10 years for killing M23 highways worker while drunk

Vilius Domarkas, a builder, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for causing the death of Anthony Howe, a highways worker, on the M23 motorway. The fatal collision occurred in the early hours of July 8, near Junction 9 southbound, for Gatwick Airport. Mr Howe, 65, from Kent, was killed instantly after stepping out of his vehicle at a coned-off roadworks area.

Lewes Crown Court heard that Domarkas, 38, had recently returned to the UK from Lithuania, where he had undergone rehabilitation for a drinking problem. He had split from his wife and had made the decision to drink before driving, according to his defence.

Driver's condition at the scene

Witnesses reported Domarkas's Citroen Relay van driving erratically and drifting between lanes in the moments leading up to the crash. The van continued for approximately 500 metres after the impact before coming to a halt due to damage. When police arrived, Domarkas's speech was slurred and he was so unsteady he fell over. A blood sample taken four hours after the incident showed 221 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. Back calculations suggested he was between three and four times the legal limit of 80 microgrammes.

Judge Martin Huseyin told Domarkas, who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, that it was shocking he felt fit to drive on a motorway when he was too drunk to stand. The judge noted that Mr Howe was a vulnerable road user in an exceptionally vulnerable position due to his work.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Howe's partner, Lilian Bonney, described her world being ripped apart. She stated that Mr Howe completed her and that his future had been taken away in the cruellest way, with the defendant's choice stealing her 'happy-ever-after'.

Sentence and disqualification

Domarkas, who has no fixed address, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for 16 years and eight months. The judge ordered the forfeiture of his van.