A motorist has begun a five-year prison sentence for driving while nearly three times over the legal drink-drive limit and killing a young man in a road crash in south Essex.
The collision happened in Pitsea on Saturday, December 16, 2006 when a Nissan X-TRAIL and a Ford Fiesta struck each other head-on on the London-bound carriageway of the A13 shortly after 9:30pm. The Nissan was travelling on the wrong carriageway.
The driver of the Fiesta was 22-year-old Sam Matkin from Burrs Way in Corringham. The warehouse worker, who lived with his parents, was certified dead at the scene.
The driver of the Nissan was Njabulo Nyathi a factory worker from Rokescroft in Basildon who was arrested and charged with one count of causing death by dangerous driving. The 46-year-old, who used to work for a double-glazing firm, pleaded guilty to the offence 10 days before the start of his trial.
Senior Investigating Officer, Inspector Alan Jelley, said: "My heart goes out to Ian, Christine and Lianne at this time. Njabulo Nyathi was a reckless man who has torn a family apart. I am confident he knew he was going to drive after consuming a large quantity of alcohol in a town-centre bar, but I'm not sure what was going through his mind when he decided to drive down the wrong side of the A13. He sent panic through several motorists before crashing into Sam's car, causing him to suffer fatal injuries.
"I hope this illustrates the dangers behind drink-driving and the devastation it causes to a family. The crash was down to Njabulo Nyathi’s irresponsible behaviour and I can only hope he and every other motorist realises that if you get behind the wheel of a car and drive off, then you become a potential killer. All drink-drivers today can see for themselves that we, Essex Police, will prosecute them and take them off the county’s roads in a bid to make them safer for everyone else."
In a family statement, father Ian, mother Christine and sister Lianne, said: "This judgement illustrates clearly that drink-driving kills and devastates families. Our lives have been in turmoil since December 2006 because this man decided that his need for a drink was far more important than anything or anyone else. Sam’s life was cut short by a drink-driver – an ignorant man who failed to acknowledge his wrong-doing and caused us even more anguish until almost the very last minute before his trial. We cannot believe he has put us through a roller-coaster of emotions after each and every court appearance where he had pleaded his innocence, knowing full well he was at fault. In the end, Sam's life equates to just a few glasses of alcohol.
"We would like to thank Essex Police for their never-ending quest to find justice. They have pursued this with grit and determination which must have put a strain on them physically and mentally. We felt that the traffic officers had a personal interest in this case and that is because they see the tragedy and destruction that drink drivers cause. They have all been individual towers of strength for us all."
At Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday, March 18 Njabulo Nyathi was also handed a five-year driving disqualification and will be required to take an extended test at the end of the disqualification period.
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