An Afghan War veteran has been jailed for killing a mother-of-three while drink-driving after a work Christmas party.

Solomon Amissah, 37, of Mount Lane, Bracknell, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

He was charged following an incident in Bracknell on December 17, 2022, in which he crashed his Range Rover into another car while driving twice over the legal limit.

The driver of the other car, 33-year-old Benedicta Owusu-Buabeng, was likely killed instantly.

Victim impact statements from the woman's loved ones - including her eight-year-old daughter - were presented at Reading Crown Court today (June 20).

Prosecuting barrister Jane Davies remarked on Amissah's bizarre behaviour after the crash - including how one witness saw him laughing and smirking, before trying to climb into the wrong car.

On the night of the crash, Amissah had been enjoying a Christmas party with his colleagues at the Kamsons Pharmacy in Bracknell.

The group began drinking at the pharmacy, before moving on to the Silver Birch pub nearby.

A colleague testified that, while at the pub, Amissah's demeanour changed.

Mrs Davies said: "He was described by one witness as 'hyper,' and more drunk than earlier, and showing some odd behaviour. Later in the evening, he was described as quieter and tired.

"His energy suddenly went down, and his behaviour was unusual."

By the end of the night, the defendant was reportedly so drunk that he needed to be helped out of the premises by the landlady and a barman.

Judge Amjad Nawaz, sentencing Amissah, remarked: "It may be that the better action would have been to take the car keys off him, but that's with the benefit of hindsight."

While in no fit state, Amissah got behind the wheel of his Range Rover.

Driving through Bracknell, his conduct alarmed other motorists - including one woman who, stuck behind the Range Rover, urged a passenger to call 999.

At Mill Lane, Amissah drifted onto the wrong side of the road.

It was at this point that his car smashed into another driven by Benedicta Owusu-Buabeng.

Mrs Owusu-Buabeng was a mother-of-three - and, at the time of the collision, her youngest child was just nine months old.

Judge Nawaz said that she sustained massive injuries, and almost certainly died upon impact.

He told the court: "Mercifully, it was a quick death."

Witnessing the aftermath of the collision, another motorist stopped and pulled Amissah from the wreck of his car.

Mrs Davies said that, in spite of the situation, the defendant acted strangely, laughing and smirking.

He tried to climb in his rescuer's car and drive away - apparently unaware that it was not his own.

However, he reportedly became despondent upon the arrival of the police at the scene.

When tested shortly after the crash, Amissah's breath-alcohol reading was found to be 55 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath - well over the 35-microgram limit.

The Range Rover he was driving was uninsured at the time of the collision.

Defence barrister Sean Caulfield said Amissah was a British Army veteran, who came to the UK from Ghana decades ago.

He has no prior convictions for serious offences, and a stellar military record.

Of his client, Mr Caulfield said: "He's expressed remorse and shame for his actions. He's also expressed his gratitude to those brave members of the public who assisted immediately after the collision - in particular those who detained him."

Judge Nawaz jailed Amissah for 11-and-a-half years - of which he will serve two-thirds in prison.

In addition, he stripped the defendant of his driving licence for eight years, with an extension of seven-and-a-half years.

Should he seek to drive again, Amissah will have to take a special extended course.

Turning his attention to Mrs Owusu-Buabeng's loved ones - who thronged the public gallery in court - the judge said: "I make it plain, in the course of the sentencing exercise: there is no sentence that this court can pass that can correct [her death]."

Mrs Owusu-Buabeng's eight-year-old daughter provided an extraordinary victim impact statement, read to the court by Mrs Davies.

She spoke of her and her family's grief, saying: "My mother was my best friend, and losing her has had a big impact on my life.

"I have been eating less and crying more. I have been helping my brother and sister and trying to remind them of mum.

"We have had to move house and school, as it was not nice to come home and mum not being there.

"Dad is trying to do everything to help us, but I still really miss my mum."