London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 16, 2026

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
Zelensky Faces Kyiv Protests Over Ousting of Dynamic Ukrainian Defense Minister
Colombia Influencer Dies After Cosmetic Procedure at Unlicensed Bogota Salon
Thomas Tuchel Faces Fierce Backlash After Tactical Retreat Costs England World Cup Final Berth
A Quiet Bastille Day: France Grapples with World Cup Heartbreak and Leftover Fireworks
Canadian Wildfire Crisis Triggers Transnational Air Quality Alerts Ahead of Soccer Finale
UK Housing Reform Debate Intensifies Over Tenant Protection Measures
UK Defence Official Challenges Russian Narrative on NATO Readiness and European Security
UK Names Independent Member to Judicial Pension Board to Strengthen Oversight
UK Parliamentary Committee Sets New Framework for Select Committee Leadership Roles
UK Government Pushes Energy Savings Through School Solar Expansion Plan
UK Committee Reviews Future of Gaelic Broadcasting and Language Support
UK Government Expands Industrial Skills Support in Wales as Steel Sector Faces Change
UK Rejects Russian Claims That European Defence Spending Is Aggressive
UK Schools and Gaelic Broadcasting Among Areas Reviewed in New Parliamentary Inquiries
UK Housing Committee Calls for Stronger Tenant Protections Under Rental Reform Plans
UK Government Faces Pressure for Stronger Oversight After South East Water Failings Report
UK Parliament Opens Inquiry Into Safety of Women and Girls on Public Transport
UK Defence Ministry Appoints Interim Chief Defence Medical Officer During Transition Period
UK Government Announces Five Million Pound Skills Programme for Young People in Port Talbot
UK Government Launches Solar Programme to Cut Energy Costs for Schools
Met Office Warns Extreme Weather Is Becoming More Common Across the UK
UK Government Faces Internal Debate Over New Chancellor Appointment Under Andy Burnham
Andy Burnham Set to Become UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer’s Resignation
UK Economy Grows Slightly in May as Supply Chain Disruptions Continue to Weigh on Industry
British Steel Moves Into UK Public Ownership to Protect Domestic Steel Production and Jobs
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Spain and UK Dismantle Gibraltar Border Following Landmark Schengen Integration Treaty
Church of England Rejects Plan to Rewild Thirty Percent of Land by 2030
UK Parliament Examines Future of Gaelic Broadcasting in Scotland
Thames Water Faces Criticism Over Four Million Pounds in Bonus Payments
South East Water Crisis Puts UK Water Regulation Under Renewed Scrutiny
UK Report Highlights Racial Inequality in Homelessness Support Services
UK Government Defends Proposed Social Media Curfew for Teenagers Despite Criticism
Reform UK Gains Recognition as Major Political Party in New Polling
Labour Party Faces Internal Divisions Over Gaza Policy and Asylum Reform
Experts Warn UK Housing and Transport Infrastructure Is Unprepared for Rising Extreme Heat
UK Human Rights Committee Begins Review of Immigration and Asylum Bill
UK Parliament Launches Inquiry Into Declining High Streets Across England
Bank of England Governor Warns of Growing AI Risks to Global Financial Security
UK Public Finance Institutions Mobilize Fifty Billion Pounds to Support Growth and Jobs
UK Parliament Opens Inquiry Into Long-Term Strategy Toward Russia
UK-India Trade Agreement Takes Effect With Zero-Duty Access for Nearly All Indian Exports
Forget Tinder: The Surprising Platform Where People Find Love
UK Government Faces Growing Debate Over Local Control of Immigration Enforcement
UK Biodiversity Forum Highlights Business Need to Protect Natural Environment
UK Parliament to Consider Workplace Temperature Limits Amid Climate Concerns
UK Parliament Considers Independent Immigration Appeals Authority Proposal
BBC Charter Renewal Scrutiny Intensifies as Parliament Reviews Broadcaster’s Future
Parliament Reviews Future of UK Maternity and Neonatal Care Services
UK-India Trade Accelerator Launched to Help Smaller Firms Expand Into Indian Market
×