Wymondham man caused fatal head-on crash while hurrying home

Graeme Harrison, 40, was on the drink drive limit - having had a cocktail and half a bottle of wine - and had traces of cocaine in his system when tested following the smash on the A143.

Scene of the crash on the A143 at Fritton (Image: Newsquest)Norwich Crown Court heard he was driving his wife's Mercedes car at Fritton, near Great Yarmouth, having gone to a late-night garage to buy some cigarettes when he attempted a "dangerous overtake" of the HGV lorry on the brow of a hill.

He "put himself in the oncoming lane" resulting in a "violent head-on collision" with a VW Caddy van which then caught fire.

Chris Youell, prosecuting, said Jonathan Watson, 50, a front seat passenger in the van, was pulled from the vehicle but died shortly after he arrived at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston.

Jonathan Watson who was killed in the crash on the A143 at Fritton (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)Harrison was also taken to hospital following the crash, which happened at about 1.40am on October 23, 2021, and found to be on the legal limit for driving with alcohol and had traces of cocaine in his system.

Spencer Dunn, the driver of the VW Caddy, suffered a laceration to his right knee as well as fractures to his back and had to take time off work as a result.

Graeme Harrison (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)Harrison, formerly of Reeve Way, Wymondham, appeared in court on Thursday to be sentenced after admitting causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)He has previous convictions for drink driving, including after he was stopped on The Street, Saxlingham Nethergate, while above the legal limit on February 3 last year - 15 months after the fatal crash at Fritton.

Jailing him for eight years, Judge Andrew Shaw said Harrison had been "solely responsible for the catastrophic collision" which resulted in the death of Mr Watson and serious injury to Mr Dunn.

Judge Andrew Shaw (Image: Newsquest)He said having drunk a cocktail and half a bottle of wine and with traces of cocaine in his system he made the "foolish and ill-fated decision" to drive to a late night garage and buy cigarettes.

Judge Shaw said Harrison, who had been driving his wife's car, was "clearly impatient" to return home when he pulled out to overtake the HGV.

He said it was an "utterly avoidable tragedy" in that Harrison must have known it was "unsafe" to pull out and overtake the lorry when "you couldn't see what was coming" over the brow of a hill.

Before Harrison, who broke down in tears during the hearing, was jailed, the court heard impact statements from Mr Watson's son Nigel and his wife Tanya describing their loss.

Nigel said his father's death had "really messed me up" and left him feeling "numb".

He said: "I didn't want to grow up without a dad.

"I want to go to my dad for advice."

He added: "I miss him so much".

Tanya said she woke up every day wanting to speak to her husband, or Bear as she referred to him, but he was "not there".

She said he was the "rock" who "held the family together" and found it "so hard, not having him here".

Tanya said she kissed his ashes every day and every night, adding: "I don't want to be here, I just want to be with Bear".

 Mr Dunn, the van driver who was seriously hurt in the crash, said it had changed his life "completely" adding he "felt a lot of sadness" at the death of his friend Mr Watson.

Rob Pollington, mitigating, said Harrison had made a "series of terrible decisions" which resulted in a loss of life and serious injury.

He said Harrison, who admitted the offences, has shown genuine remorse and will carry what has happened "for the rest of his life".

Harrison was also disqualified from driving for a total of 14 years.