M1 crash: Man jailed for causing death in eight-vehicle crash

A man has been jailed for causing death by careless driving after an eight-vehicle crash on the M1.

Mother-of-two Winsome Bedward, 57, died in the pile-up near Crick, Northamptonshire, on 8 March.

Northamptonshire Police said Warren McBride, 36, from Leicester, was the driver of the Ford Focus that caused the crash and alcohol was a contributory factor.

He was jailed for five years and seven months.

Northampton Crown Court also banned McBride, of Littlethorpe, from driving for nearly six years.

Police said Ms Bedward, from Nottingham, was a passenger in a blue Mazda3 Sport when the crash happened a mile north of junction 18, just after 05:00 GMT.

Despite the efforts of family members and paramedics, she died at the scene.

She leaves her two young sons, Jonathan and Samuel.

Ms Bedward's mother Kathleen described her daughter as a "loving, caring person with a beautiful spirit" and her sister-in-law Paula said she was "an angel".

Her brother Glen added: "She was really beautiful, inside and out.

"Winsome's death has left us feeling empty and devastated beyond measure. She will always be precious to us."

Det Con Bruce Wilson, from Northamptonshire Police, who investigated the collision, said it was "crystal clear how special a woman Winsome Bedward was".

"There is no sentence in this world that can make up for the pain they feel, or the loss of such a wonderful woman, but I hope the conclusion of this case provides them with some sense of closure and will allow them to concentrate on all the good memories they have of Winsome," he said.

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