A driver who veered off the A1 highway into a service station forecourt and fatally struck a “much-loved” student has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison.
Fiona Phippen, aged 45, was driving up to 51mph when she collided with Urwah Tanveer, a 20-year-old psychology student, who was standing next to her family’s parked Mercedes at Foston Services near Grantham, Lincolnshire, in June 2024.
Phippen, residing in Church Close, Great Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire, admitted in April to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.
During the hearing at Lincoln Crown Court, Phippen, a mother of two, wept as the court was told that her victim had been preparing for her graduation ceremony before the tragic incident.
Jurors were presented with “graphic and shocking” CCTV footage showing Phippen’s Nissan Qashqai hitting Urwah, who succumbed to her injuries in the hospital a day later.
The court learned that Phippen narrowly missed hitting Urwah’s brother and caused injuries to her 83-year-old grandmother, who was inside the Mercedes, suffering harm to her hand, chest, and ribs.
Phippen alleged being distracted by another vehicle on the northbound A1 just before the collision occurred, which happened under “perfect road conditions” on the afternoon of June 29, 2024.
Urwah, hailing from London, had achieved a 2.1 at Queen Mary’s University in London and aspired to work in the NHS, as revealed in court.
Evidence presented suggested that Phippen was using cruise control and failed to apply the brakes in the six seconds after leaving the A1, maintaining a speed between 41mph and 51mph.
During sentencing, Judge Simon Hirst noted that a six-minute WhatsApp video call via a mobile holder on the dashboard had concluded 38 seconds before the crash.
Addressing Phippen, the judge remarked, “It is still unclear why this collision happened. I have listened to statements from Urwah’s family. It is evident from all accounts that she was dearly loved and her absence will be deeply felt for a long time.”
He added, “For over six minutes before the collision, you were engaged in a phone video call. It ended 38 seconds before the crash. It concluded 32 seconds before you left the main road. It is evident that you lacked sufficient awareness of your surroundings on the A1.”
Phippen was also disqualified from driving for seven years and six weeks.
Urwah’s parents and sister shared their emotional statements describing their anguish. Nahail Idris, Urwah’s mother and an NHS worker who was nearby during the incident, displayed a picture of her cheerful daughter as she spoke to the court.
Expressing her pain, Nahail stated, “My daughter was taken from me in front of my eyes. After seeing the video, I realized how close Phippen came to harming two of my children. I carry a constant scream within me now. The trauma and loss will stay with me forever. My life is now defined by what Urwah will never experience.”
Addressing Phippen directly, she concluded, “This is my life sentence and my family’s life sentence.”