The driver who killed pregnant Frankie Jules-Hough and put her son in a coma filmed himself driving recklessly at 123mph before hitting her stationary vehicle.
Adil Iqbal, 22, was found guilty of killing pregnant mother-of-two Frankie Jules-Hough, 38, and was handed a 12-year sentence, to the dismay of the victim’s family.
Best known for playing Jess Holt on Hollyoaks between 2000 and 2001, Jules-Hough was in the car with her two sons and nephew when it was struck.
Iqbal held the wheel with one hand, as he filmed himself weaving through traffic at speeds of 123mph in his father’s BMW 140i on the M66 in Bury, Greater Manchester on May 13 this year.
Meanwhile, Jules-Hough had pulled over on the hard shoulder due to a tire puncture.
Jurors heard how Iqbal undertook a motorbike at speed before slamming into a crash barrier, spinning and hurtling into Jules-Hough’s Skoda Fabia at around 92mph.
Jules-Hough, who was 17 weeks pregnant with her first daughter, Neeve, suffered fatal brain injuries while her unborn daughter died when Frankie passed away two days later.
Her nine-year-old son, Thomas Spencer, and four-year-old nephew Tobias Welby were left in a coma with serious brain injuries.
Both boys spent weeks in intensive care in hospital and their long-term recoveries remain uncertain, the court was told.
In her last moments, Jules-Hough was on the phone with her child’s father to say she would be late when she let out a 'blood-curdling scream', Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Iqbal, from Accrington, Lancashire, admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one count of causing death by dangerous driving.
On Igbal’s immediate reaction, prosecutor Rob Hall said: “He was being evasive, trying to make out that he'd done nothing wrong.”
The court heard how Iqbal attempted to blame the crash on an issue with his rear-wheel drive car, but the vehicle was found to have had no faults.
Iqbal was arrested, replied ‘no comment’ to questions, and refused to inform police of his phone PIN code.
Later, police obtained access to the device and discovered the video.
Passing sentence, Judge Maurice Greene told him: “She was killed as a result of the most indescribable reckless driving by you Adil Iqbal, leading to the devastation of a family.”
Rose Gibson-Harper, the lawyer representing the victim's family, has since criticized the judge's decision in a statement on Wednesday.
She said: “Today's 12-year sentence is insulting and an injustice to the catastrophic injuries little Tobias sustained, and the life sentence Mrs. Hough's family were needlessly handed following her and her unborn daughter's death due to an act of sheer stupidity.
“Last year, judges were given the power to hand down greater sentences to those convicted of death by dangerous driving – previously, the maximum tariff was 14 years but it was increased to life imprisonment.
“This case stands as one of the worst examples of dangerous driving I have witnessed in my 27-year career as a catastrophic injury lawyer, and we expected the justice system to fulfill its duty and utilize its new-found powers.”
In court, Frankie's father said: “I spent over two days without sleep, holding Frankie's hand and begging her to come back, all the time knowing that this wasn't going to happen.”
He added: “I promised Frankie that I would always protect her, and on that day, someone else broke my promise. I don't think I can ever forgive him for that, but I know I will never truly forgive myself.”
Jules-Hough also had roles in Merseybeat, Heartbeat, Where The Heart Is and Wire In The Blood, before training as a Reiki practitioner.
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