Woman jailed for causing death of Jennie Dowd in road traffic collision in Sefton Village

Jennie Dowd

We can confirm that a Sefton Village woman has today (Tuesday 5 October) been jailed for 12 months for causing the death of Jennie Dowd (above) in a road traffic collision last year. 

24-year-old Lucy Ashton of Lunt Road (below) was sentenced for Death by careless driving; and failing to stop following a collision. She had admitted the offence last month. Ashton was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.

31-year-old Jennie Dowd, from Crosby, was found seriously injured near to The Punchbowl on Lunt Road, Sefton Village on the morning of Sunday, 27 September 2020. She was cycling when a Ford Focus driven by Ashton collided with her.
 
Jennie was taken to hospital but sadly passed away on Tuesday 6 October, a year ago tomorrow. 
 
Ashton was found to have made off from the scene. She was arrested later on the day of the collision and subsequently charged following a full investigation.
 
Roads Policing Inspector Stuart McIver said: “This is a heart-breaking case in which Jennie, a beloved wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, friend and colleague, lost her life due to the carelessness of Ashton. 
 
“No sentence could begin to reverse the pain that Jennie’s family and friends have suffered since, but hopefully this verdict brings some healing and sense of justice.
 
“That Ashton chose to abandon the scene of this collision, essentially leaving Jennie for dead, is a decision she will have to live with as she serves her sentence. 
 
“I would implore anyone who drives a car or other vehicle on our roads to be considerate of all other road users. This collision, like so many, was an avoidable tragedy which has devastated so many people.”
 
Following today’s sentencing hearing the family of Jennie Dowd issued the following comment:
 
“At today’s court hearing our Victim Statements try to express our thoughts and feelings. Today is just one day short of a year since Jennie’s death on 6th October 2020, but no words can convey the grief we all so deeply feel at our immeasurable loss.”

Excerpts from Victim Personal Statement of Peter Dowd, father of Jennie:
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“Jennie was the most caring of people. She always had been since she was a child. She would do anything to help. Nothing was too much trouble for her. Each summer holiday, when Jennie was at University, she went to a children’s home in Mombasa, Kenya under own steam to look after children who had lost their parents. That was just one of her many acts of giving. Jennie loved Africa so much she went to study public health in Cape Town. 
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“This was her approach to life either as community worker knocking on doors in the cold and rain or as an NHS member of staff working with vulnerable homeless people battling HIV and Hepatitis C. That selfless approach summed up Jennie. If she had had a motto it would be “Others First”. Jennie always thought of others. Even in death she helped people. Jennie donated a number of her organs which have enabled others to live. I am so proud of her. We are all so proud of her.
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“So many people would say Jennie lit up the room. She did. This is what we will all miss. Her laugh. Her smile. Her humour. Simply her.
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“The thought I will never see Jennie again is often unbearable. 
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“The room where she was born in at Aintree Hospital and the room in which she died on the same hospital site was just 300 yards away. But that short journey belied the real limitless journey between her birth and death. A life packed out with giving which had such a positive affect on so many other people’s lives.
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“Jennie was caring, thoughtful, selfless, funny, vivacious, beautiful, enthusiastic, admired, lovely and loving. But even those words cannot sum up what we have lost, the Jennie we will never see or hear again or what Jennie was to us - to Sam, her wife, Karen, her mum, Jenny her nan and Chris, her brother and all her other family and friends. 
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“In conclusion, I want the person who was responsible for Jennie’s death, by her careless actions, to know the hurt she has had on our family, friends and the loss to our wider society. I want her to to know the Jennie we have lost. The Jennie who we will never see again. The Jennie who has gone from our lives. The Jennie of whom we have memories, but, however lovely they are, they are not Jennie who we miss so much and whose captivating smile we will never see again.”

Excerpts from Victim Personal Statement of Samantha Brighton, wife of Jennie

“On the 27th of September 2020 I was to celebrate four fruitful years living in Liverpool with my wonderful wife, Jennie. I did not wake up that day thinking that’s all the time I’d get. 
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“My Lord, the only way I can truly convey the magnitude of my loss is to tell you what my Jennie meant to me.  Jennie’s death is the least remarkable thing about her. I want to tell you about the impact of her love, joy, kindness and good nature on my life before her death. 
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“Jennie and I met in South Africa in 2015. What are the chances of two people who lived 8000 miles apart, finding each other and discovering they were the ones they’d always been searching for? 
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“We were engaged 11 months later, married three years after that. I moved my entire life from South Africa to nest with Jennie in Liverpool, a city I now proudly call home. In this time, Jennie held me, supported me, lifted me up and championed me in every way. She had an innate ability to make you see yourself through her beautiful green eyes. Jennie challenged me to be the best version of myself while also accepting me and others just as we are. What a skill. 
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“And so here I stand today with this: Two wedding rings instead of one; wedding photos that make me cry; a house that’s too big for just me; dwindling hopes for creating my own family; fewer reasons to laugh; gratitude for Jennie’s family who’ve welcomed me with open arms; longing for my own family back home. Most of all I’m left with an immense grief. I grieve the life we had planned. Married for only 18 months, we deserved so much more. We worked so hard to build this life, one which celebrated our love, but we were robbed. There is no way to rectify this tragic situation.”
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