'Devious' couple who swapped seats after fatally injuring Northampton woman in hit and run jailed

A learner driver who killed a Northampton woman in a hit and run before swapping seats with her boyfriend so he could drive the car away has been jailed.

Krystal Hamilton was on a short walk back from the Co-Op in Grange Park and was less than 50 metres from her home when she was knocked down and fatally injured in February this year.

But Northampton Crown Court heard on Thursday (December 17) how while the 20-year-old was lying seriously hurt in the road, the couple responsible for her death were too busy covering up for their actions to call for help.

Because immediately after the collision, and before thinking to check on their victim, the court heard, the couple swapped seats so the boyfriend could drive away - while the driver, Kennedy Lucas, 24, formerly of Primrose Walk, stayed behind and lied to concerned residents that there had been a hit and run and she wasn't involved.

Lucas later also lied to police about the collision and hid her car keys when officers came to her door.

His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo scolded the pair in court, saying: "It is as serious as it gets. It involves staying by the person fighting for her life and doing nothing. It was devious."

In the minutes before the collision, she convinced her boyfriend, Vinny Guess, 28, to let her have a go in their hired grey Volkswagen Passat so she could "show off" what she had learned in the five unofficial lessons she had had with a family member before Christmas.

Lucas later reportedly told officers in an interview: "[I] just wanted to have a little play around. But playing around has consequences."

Minutes later, at around 11pm on February 6, Lucas lost control of the Passat on Wake Way in Grange Park, just as Krystal Hamilton was walking home after going to the shops.

Not only did she not have a full driving licence, but Lucas had also never driven an automatic like the Passat - leading her to collide with a central grass island in the road and veer off.

When she tried to brake, she pressed down on the accelerator and only sped up.

She collided with Krystal, who fell to the pavement and suffered what would be a fatal head injury.

Unable to stop, Lucas also careened across a nearby grass verge in a complete circle and crashed into a wall, alone causing an estimated £11,000 of damage.

But CCTV played in court showed how within seconds of the crash, the couple were trying to cover their tracks.

Less than 10 seconds after the impact, Vinny Guess climbed into the Passat's driving seat, left Lucas at the scene, and drove away.

Lucas then stood by and tried to flag down a car. She did not check on Krystal.

The first person to stop was a woman who knew Krystal. Lucas told her there had been "a hit and run".

When concerned neighbours arrived to help, she told them she would be "back in two minutes" and left. She never returned.

Judge Mayo said: "Rather than attending the scene and making sure that person in the road had emergency assistance and accepting the blame, [Lucas] stayed at the scene and acted what was described as rather coolly.

"She strongly implied she wasn't responsible and it was a hit and run driver."

Within two hours, police attended Lucas and Guess' home to ask about the damaged Passat out front.

As the officer approached the door, the court heard how Lucas hid her car keys. She then told the officer she didn't know anything about the car or the incident, and that "people park there all the time".

During this time, Krystal had been rushed to University Hospital Coventry with severe injuries.

Reportedly, the next day Lucas and Guess saw a Facebook post asking for a "girl at the scene who saw everything and left" to come forward, and knew people were "looking for them". They turned themselves in that morning, 12 hours after the crash.

Ten days later in hospital, Krystal died with her mother beside her. She was 20.

In sentencing, the court heard how Vinny Guess also had previous convictions for attempted burglary, dangerous driving, conspiracy to steal vehicles and assault.

And in a heartbreaking statement, Krystal's mum Anne Marie Hamilton took the stand in court to tell her daughter's killers exactly what they had done to her family.Judge Mayo said in sentencing: "Nothing I say in the sentencing I pass can bring Krystal back.

"Her family rather understandably are devastated and feel Krystal has been stolen from them.

"They are perfectly entitled to those views. The scars will take a lifetime to heal. Her life was without value - it was priceless."

"The only reason that I can define for [Lucas] driving the car is that she wanted to show off to her partner."

Lucas was jailed for 30 months for causing death by careless driving and perverting the cause of justice. She was also disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Guess was handed a 20-month sentence.