Maidstone drink driver jailed for more than 10-years over fatal horrific hit-and-run near Ashford

A drink driver who was responsible for a fatal hit-and-run in Charing Heath has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years.

Bradley Cain was also under the influence of drugs and was speeding at the time of the incident in Church Hill on Saturday 2 September 2023. He was driving his Ford Fiesta over the speed limit at around 9.24pm when he collided with a 28-year-old woman and her young child who were crossing the road.

Rather than stop, Cain from Maidstone carried on driving and left his victims behind. A motorist who was travelling in the other direction at around the same time, had to swerve to avoid Cain’s oncoming vehicle and then saw Lisa Chapman in the road.

Fatal injuries

Emergency services were called but she had suffered fatal wounds and died at the scene. The child was taken to hospital with non-serious injuries.

Cain’s car was then found abandoned at the junction with Egerton Road, where it had collided with a bollard. Kent Police also received multiple reports of a man running through residential properties in the area and jumping over fences. When officers tracked Cain to his home address he was covered in mud and scratches.

Investigators from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit secured charges against the 25-year-old, and he admitted to causing death by dangerous driving, failing to stop and failing to report a collision. The aggravating factors of speeding and being intoxicated with alcohol, cannabis and cocaine, all formed part of his jail sentence when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday 23 November 2023.

Cain will also be banned from driving for 10 years upon his release from prison.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Faye Murphy said:

‘My thoughts are with Lisa’s family during what must have been and continues to be a very difficult time for them. This tragic incident should never have happened, and it goes to show that speeding and driving under the influence of drink and drugs, poses a serious risk to others.

‘There is no excuse for his actions which have ruined many lives and I’m just pleased to see him jailed for what he did.’

The leading causes of serious injury and death on the county’s roads are speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt and using mobiles at the wheel. Officers are urging all motorists to remember this and consider the consequences

Tackling each of these offences is a priority for Kent Police as part of its commitment to Kent County Council’s Vision Zero strategy, which aims to drastically reduce incidents.

Officers will continue to do all they can to keep people safe and take action against drivers who break the law. Find out more about these offences, the penalties they carry, and how to report incidents to us here.