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KAREN KIMBLIN'S HUSBAND OF 43 YEARS WAS ALSO LEFT SERIOUSLY HURT 19:19, 07 Feb 2025Updated 19:21, 07 Feb 2025 An 'aggressive' and 'furious' driver who killed a

much-loved former nurse in a head-on crash - which also left her husband of 43 years seriously injured - has been jailed. Mohammed Irshad, 36, was at the wheel of a Mercedes driving

'somewhere in the region of twice the speed limit' when he pulled out into the path of oncoming traffic in a bid to overtake another car. Karen Kimblin, a mother-of-four who had

seven grandchildren at the time, and her husband, Kenneth, were in a Nissan on St Helens Road in Bolton, travelling towards the town centre. Mr Kimblin was driving. A judge called the

resulting crash on June 22 last year 'a 'catastrophic collision'. Mrs Kimblin - said by her family to have 'a loving, caring nature' - sadly died from her injuries.

She was 63 and as a nurse, had devoted her life to helping others. Irshad, a court heard, gave a 'callous' response to police after he was arrested, saying: "How was it me

that caused the death?" A judge who sentenced him on Friday also said Irshad had made 'denials and minimalisations' to the Probation Service during the legal process. Article

continues below But at an earlier hearing, he pleaded guilty to charges of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injuries by driving. At Bolton Crown Court, he was jailed

for 10 years and six months, and banned from driving for 12 years. The court heard two days before the collision, Irshad was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine. Metabolites of

cocaine and cannabis were found to be present in a sample of urine he gave, but the Crown 'can not and do not seek to say' he was 'highly impaired by the consumption of

drugs' at the time, said Judge Jon Close at the sentencing hearing. Judge Close described Irshad's driving at the time as 'furious'. The court heard St Helens Road is

lined with residential and commercial properties with a 30mph limit in force. The area was busy with traffic and pedestrians at the time, just before 7pm. Father-of-two Irshad had a

passenger in the Mercedes who was also injured in the crash, the court was told. The manner of his driving was said to have got progressively worse, from 'erratic' to 'more

aggressive'. He was said to have been travelling at 'no less than 49mph and no more than 65mph' around 100 metres before the impact. Judge Close, however, said experts

determined his speed at that time to be 'towards the higher end' of that scale. "You were travelling somewhere in the region of twice the speed limit," he said. Irshad,

of no fixed address, overtook a Toyota, forcing a moped and an SUV to take 'evasive action'. He then 'moved completely into the path' of oncoming traffic. His actions,

said Judge Close, gave Mr and Mrs Kimblin 'no option to avoid' what he called a 'catastrophic collision'. The Nissan was flipped into the air and hit a wall, with three

pedestrians said to have been near at the time. Judge Close said: "Fortune alone prevented further tragedy." The couple were both cut free from the wreckage. Mr Kimblin, who the

court heard was already an amputee, suffered 'serious and long-term injuries'. In a victim impact statement, he said he was 'consumed by fear for his wife' in the

immediate aftermath. Judge Close told Irshad: "In his words, you have left him lonely." One of her daughters meanwhile, who was pregnant at the time, said his driving had

'robbed' her of a mother. "Yours was a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road," Judge Close told Irshad. "You were travelling at around twice the legal

limit when you pulled into oncoming traffic that was clear to be seen." Irshad has eight previous convictions for 10 offences, including violence. Article continues below In a tribute

at the time, Mrs Kimblin's family said they were 'crushed' by her loss. "Karen worked all of her life as a nurse caring for others, which came so easily to her with her

caring and loving nature," they said. "Our family loves her beyond words and received the same love and devotion in return from her. "