Driver jailed 12 years for 140mph Christmas crash

Evan Forde, 32, was jailed for 12 years and disqualified from driving for 18 years after driving a Mercedes at more than 140mph on a 40mph stretch of Hendon Way in Brent Cross on Christmas Day 2022 and crashing into the back of a BMW, killing passenger Maria Carolina Do Nascimento, 22. Police in a marked vehicle had signalled him to stop and body-worn footage showed an officer was dragged as Forde sped off; officers did not pursue, and Forde and several passengers fled the scene. CCTV and footage from Forde’s phone showed he had been at a Camden nightclub hours earlier; prosecutors said he had 10 previous convictions for 14 offences, including dangerous driving, and was on bail charged with failing to provide a specimen. Forde handed himself in two days later but gave “no comment” interviews, and the complex investigation took nearly three years to reach trial. Judge Philip Katz KC condemned his lack of assistance to police and the victim’s family as “shameful”, while the defence said he had shown “true and genuine remorse”; Maria’s mother said the family continue to grieve.