London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Learner driver who killed woman and swapped seats with boyfriend is jailed

Learner driver who killed woman and swapped seats with boyfriend is jailed

A learner driver killed a woman in a hit-and-run while ‘showing off’ to her boyfriend, who then drove the car away and helped cover her tracks.

Kennedy Lucas lost control after accidentally accelerating instead of braking and crashed into Krystal Hamilton, 20, who was walking home from the shops.

She also careened across a nearby grass verge in a complete circle and smashed into a wall, causing an estimated £11,000 of damage.

CCTV footage shows the couple swapping seats less than 10 seconds after the impact before Lucas’s boyfriend Vinny Guess drives off leaving the 24-year-old at the scene.

Lucas then tried to flag someone down, who happened to know Ms Hamilton, and told them there had been a ‘hit and run’, Northampton Crown Court heard.

She told concerned neighbours who had gathered at the scene she would be ‘back in two minutes’ and left without returning.

Within two hours police arrived at the couple’s home to ask about the damaged Volkswagen Passat in front of their house.


Northampton Crown Court jailed the couple and disqualified Lucas from driving for 18 months


But Lucas hid her car keys and told the officers she did not know anything about the accident and that ‘people park there all the time’.

During this time Krystal had been rushed to the University Hospital Coventry with a severe head injury.

The next day Lucas and Guess saw a Facebook post asking about the ‘girl at the scene who saw everything and left’ that people were ‘looking for’.

They turned themselves in that morning, 12 hours crashing into Ms Hamilton, who died 10 days later in hospital with her mother beside her.

Lucus, from Luton, Bedfordshire, admitted to causing death by careless driving and perverting the course of justice on February 6.

Yesterday she was jailed for 30 months and disqualified from driving 18 months.

Guess, from Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was jailed for 20 months.

Lucas later told police in interview: ‘I just wanted to have a little play around. But playing around has consequences.’

Judge Rupert Mayo said: ‘It is as serious as it gets. It involves staying by the person fighting for her life and doing nothing. It was devious.

‘Rather than attending the scene and making sure that person in the road had emergency assistance and accepting the blame, she stayed at the scene and acted what was described as rather coolly.

‘She strongly implied she wasn’t responsible and it was a hit and run driver.

‘Nothing I say in the sentencing I pass can bring Krystal back. Her family rather understandably are devastated and feel Krystal has been stolen from them.

‘They are perfectly entitled to those views. The scars will take a lifetime to heal. Her life was without value – it was priceless.

‘The only reason that I can define for [Lucas] driving the car is that she wanted to show off to her partner.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×