Belper drug driver jailed for killing woman returning home from hospital

A woman who had been at a routine dialysis appointment at hospital, never made it home after being involved in a fatal head on collision with a drug driver.

Shirley Muirden, from Belper, never recovered from the injuries she suffered that June day last year and died in hospital less than 24 hours later.

Zach Spencer, of Laund Hill in Belper, was driving a Volkswagen Scirocco when it ploughed, head on, into the Mercedes E-Class that Shirley was travelling in on the A6 Burley Hill in Allestree at 11.20pm on Friday 3 June 2022. Spencer, who was found to have twice the legal level of the drug Ketamine in his system, had moved onto the wrong side of the road just before the fatal collision.

In addition to Shirley dying as a result of her injuries, the driver of the taxi, Razwan Khan, suffered a fracture to his right leg and ankle, Joseph Stewart, who was a passenger in Spencer’s car, was left with a broken right elbow and a broken right ankle while Spencer suffered internal bleeding and damage to his bowel.

Appearing at Derby Crown Court on Thursday 18 May Spencer, 22, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of causing serious injury through dangerous driving and possession of ketamine. He was sent to prison for four years and handed a 12-year driving ban.

Detective Constable Diane McDermott lead the investigation team: “Shirley Muirden was making a journey home she’d made many times before, just like Mr Khan had, taking passengers from Derby to Belper, only on this occasion it had truly tragic consequences.

“Getting behind the wheel of a car after you’ve taken illegal drugs impairs your ability to control that vehicle properly and leads to the awful scene and horrific result we saw in this case.

“Spencer should not have been behind the wheel of his car after taking Ketamine and it was a recipe for disaster. Now, Spencer will have to deal with the consequences of his actions and not just in terms of prison time but also the 12-year driving ban.

“However, for the family of Shirley, no amount of prison time nor driving ban will be able to bring her back and it is to her family and friends that my deepest sympathies go to.”