Drink-driver jailed for killing woman and her three dogs in crash

Laszlo Dancs hit Olivia Riley while racing his Audi TT in Chelsea after going out clubbing on his birthday, a court heard (Picture: PA)

A 28-year-old man who mowed down a woman and her three dogs on his way home from a booze and coke-fuelled birthday bender has been jailed.

Laszlo Dancs was driving his Audi TT at 60mph down a 20mph road in Chelsea, west London, at 6.15am on May 14 last year when he lost control of the car.

The vehicle slid across the carriageway and struck Olivia Riley, her two adult Labradors and Golden Retriever puppy as they waited at a pedestrian crossing.

Prosecutors said he had been racing against two other cars at the time, and that three had accelerated away from a standstill at traffic lights.

An off-duty police officer who heard the crash saw Ms Riley, 41, lying on the road with a traffic light pole on top of her.

The officer spoke to Dancs, who kept repeating ‘the light was green’ and tried to blame one of the other drivers.

His passenger later admitted to police they had both been drinking and taking cocaine as it was Dancs’ birthday that day.

Ms Riley died at the scene while her dogs died later of their injuries (Picture: PA)

Dancs, who moved to the UK from Hungary in 2014, was found to be almost 2.5 times over the legal limit for alcohol and drugs.

Ms Riley died at the scene, while her dogs died later from their injuries.

The 28-year-old defendant, who worked as a manager at a well-known north London pizzeria, suffered only minor injuries in the crash.

He was jailed for six years and eight months after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, drink driving and drug driving. He denied failing to provide a breath sample.

In a statement read out by her uncle, Ms Riley’s father told the court she had effectively become a mother to her younger stepbrother and stepsister after the deaths of his first and second wives.

Dancs was jailed for six years and eight months on Friday (Picture: PA)

He said: ‘The accused has left Leonora and Kit with not only no mother but the person who was guiding them with so much love and care throughout. They are devastated and suffering terribly as a result.’

Jeremy Dein KC, defending, said his client had recently suffered the break-up of a long-term relationship and had intended to get a taxi home after going clubbing that night.

Dancsz wrote a letter to the judge expressing his ‘overwhelming sense of guilt’.

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Laszlo Dancs hit Olivia Riley while racing his Audi TT through Chelsea at three times the speed limit after going out clubbing on his birthday.