Edinburgh drink-driver jailed after 'downing a litre of vodka' before crashing into car carrying two primary school teachers

Christopher Kerry left teachers Gabriella Passaretti and Sarah Nixon with serious injuries when he crashed his motor into the pair as they made their way to work at an Edinburgh school last year.

Kerry, 30, got behind the wheel of his car following an all-night drinking session and was so drunk his own mother said he “could hardly stand or walk”.

The shocked mum begged her son not to drive but was then forced to call the police after watching him drive off at speed from the family home at the capital’s Parkgrove Terrace.

The drunken lout soon lost control of the vehicle and after smashing into a garden wall and a parked car he ploughed “head on” into the Ms Passaretti’s Fiat 500.

She suffered a double break to her right arm while passenger Ms Nixon was left with a fractured sternum.

Both teachers were rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment to their injuries following the horror smash at around 8am on August 19 last year.

Kerry was also taken to hospital where he gave a blood sample at around 10.30am which showed he had 148mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 50mg.

Kerry appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Sheriff John Mundy jailed Kerry for 18 months and banned him from driving for three years.

Prosecutor Aidan Higgins told the court Kerry’s mother was woken by her son at their home at around 6.30am.

Around an hour later he grabbed the keys to his silver BMW but as he attempted to get into the car he fell and banged his head.

He then drove off and collided with a neighbour’s garden wall and a parked car.

Mr Higgins added witnesses then saw Kerry driving about 50mph in a 20mph zone before crashing into Ms Passaretti’s car.

The fiscal said: “Ms Passaretti was driving her Fiat 500 west along Parkgrove Terrace with Sarah Nixon as her passenger. Both are teachers and were attending the local primary school to start work.

“She came to a stop as another car was coming in the opposite direction. She saw the silver BMW coming towards her at speed.

“The male driver’s head was rolling about and he was not focusing on what was in front of him.

“He struck the Fiat 500 head on causing the airbags to deploy. Ms Passeretti was able to exit the vehicle and it was then she noticed she had broken her arm.”

Lawyer Ruairidh Mulheron, defending, said Kerry had admitted downing around “a litre of vodka and some beers” and that he wanted to “apologise to both the victims”.

Mr Mulheron added his client had “no recollection” of the incident and had been “drowning his sorrows” due to a relationship ending.

Kerry pleaded guilty to causing severe injury to Gabriella Passaretti and Sarah Nixon while driving under the influence of alcohol and colliding with their vehicle.

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