‘Cowardly’ drink-driver found by police topless under dining table after killing woman in front of daughters

Ashley Towning, 30, was almost four times over the limit when his Nissan mounted a kerb hitting mother Lijuan Wu and her two daughters

Ashley Towning, 30, fled from the scene ‘like a coward' (Lincolnshire Police)

A drink-driver who fled the scene after killing a mother and injuring her two children was found by police minutes later topless and hiding under his dining table.

Ashley Towning, 30, was almost four times over the limit when his Nissan mounted a kerb, hitting mother Lijuan Wu and her two daughters from behind as they walked home from celebrating the eldest’s birthday just before 6.40pm on 8 August.

Mrs Wu, 40, was walking in the middle of the three of them about half a mile from the safety of their Grantham home when they were all hit on Barrowby Road. The mother of three died at the scene and the two girls, aged seven and 16, were injured.

Towning’s “out-of-control” car only stopped as it hit a street lamp, which toppled over in the impact.

The car only stopped after striking a lamppost in Barrowby Road, Grantham (Google)

Witnesses said after he stumbled out of the wreck, Towning said he “hadn’t meant to do it” before running off, chased by a bystander taking photographs of him.

He had left his driving licence and two bottles of vodka - one empty - behind in the Nissan Juke.

After running home Towning was found by police just 11 minutes later, hiding under his dining room table.

He was still in the red shorts but had taken his orange top off, throwing it away as he ran.

Analysis of his breath and blood taken just under four hours after the collision found he was almost four times over the legal drink-drive limit and had cocaine, benzoylecgonine and cannabis in his system.

Towning, 30, from Winchester Road in Grantham, was jailed for 10 years and eight months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, driving over the legal limit and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.

He was also banned from driving for 10 years and four months.

Detective sergeant James Perring, from Lincolnshire Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “Towning has shown no remorse at all, he fled from the scene like a coward. He was drunk and his driving was affected by the alcohol and drugs he had taken.

“It is unbelievable that he chose to get behind a wheel in his stupor, his complete disregard for the safety of anyone is beyond comprehension.

“Add to that he was also highly likely to have been on his mobile phone when he drove up the kerb and into the family of three. There is no sentence or sense of judgement that will ever equate to the sadness and tragedy Towning has left behind in his mindless drunken wake.

“I hope he finds a conscience and never drives again. The death of Mrs Wu has left her family utterly bereft. What happened in front of her two young daughters, one who was celebrating her birthday, will never ever be forgotten by them. Our thoughts are with the family today.”