Haringey couple killed in crash; US servicewoman gets suspended sentence

A US servicewoman has been given a suspended jail sentence for causing the deaths of a married couple from Haringey. Jasmine Dessaure, 37, was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday after admitting two counts of causing death by careless driving.

The fatal incident took place on April 15, 2023, in Suffolk. Dessaure was driving a Jeep Cherokee when she lost control of the vehicle on a single-carriageway road. The court heard that a lapse of concentration, lasting just under two seconds, led to the vehicle swerving across the carriageway.

The Jeep collided with a Nissan Note travelling in the opposite direction. Dilipan Sebastiampillai, 43, and his wife Dorota Sebastiampillai, 41, both from the London Borough of Haringey, were occupants of the Nissan. Suffolk Police confirmed that both vehicles left the carriageway and the Nissan subsequently caught fire.

Both Dilipan and Dorota Sebastiampillai suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene. The court was told that Dessaure and others attempted to assist the occupants of the Nissan but were unable to remove them from the burning vehicle.

Judge Sean Enright sentenced Dessaure to 12 months in custody, suspended for two years. She was also handed an 18-month driving ban and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid community work. The judge described the incident as an "enormous tragedy".

Mark Tomassi, prosecuting, stated that in cases like this "there are no winners, only losers". He explained that Dessaure had been driving at approximately 40mph, which was within the 60mph speed limit, when the collision occurred due to overcorrection after the vehicle's tyre left the road edge.

Ali Bajwa KC, representing Dessaure, conveyed that the defendant expressed deep regret for the incident resulting from her driving failure. The family of the deceased had indicated they did not wish for victim personal statements to be read in court.