A DRUNK grandmother who mowed down and killed a cyclist carried on driving for more than five miles, claiming that she thought she had hit a badger.
The 50-year-old cyclist was carried 50ft on the bonnet of the red Fiat Punto before he was thrown clear – and he died at the side of the road.
But “selfish” Bowen stopped when she crashed into a verge, telling police she thought she had hit a badger.
He had no chance to avoid Bowen or to do anything that could have saved him. Bowen was so drunk when she struck Mr Novak that she did not even know what she had done
She was jailed last week at Lewes Crown Court for seven years after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the alcohol limit.
Judge Shani Barnes said Bowen made “the worst decision of her life” by driving when she was drunk.
Prosecutor Mary Walford told how the grandmother had downed three or four glasses of wine with a friend over lunch last November.
She was nearly two-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit but she declined an offer from a friend’s husband to drive her home.
Shocked witnesses said Bowen appeared to accelerate after hitting Mr Novak at 60 miles an hour on the A21 in Robertsbridge, East Sussex.
Passing minibus driver James Blatcher told the court her car appeared “to have a tent on top” because the way the roof had warped in the crash. He described her “driving erratically, drifting towards the middle of the road”.
Police said Bowen, when her car finally stopped, was slurring her words and smelled of alcohol.
The court heard she was hysterical, claiming: “This is not normal for me.”
She had cuts on her knuckles from the shattered windscreen glass.
Laura Plant, mitigating, said Bowen could not recall driving away from the crash because she had been in shock.
Alison Bowen, 61, was slurring her words [SOLENT]She claimed Bowen had been stressed over family matters and was taking antidepressants at the time.
Ms Plant offered her client’s “most sincere apologies” to Mr Novak’s family, including his mother Ann Novak, who was at court for the sentencing.
Mrs Novak said: “I am finding it very difficult to come to terms with the fact that Paul is no longer here.” Mr Novak, from Hastings, East Sussex, was a keen chess player and artist who loved cycling so much he had never learned to drive.
After the case, Sergeant Dan Pitcher said: “Paul Novak was the innocent victim of a woman who selfishly decided to drink and then drive home.
“He had no chance to avoid Bowen or to do anything that could have saved him. Bowen was so drunk when she struck Mr Novak that she did not even know what she had done.
“After the collision she must have been able to see next to nothing out of her windscreen and could have easily caused more serious or even fatal accidents.”
Following sentencing, Mrs Novak added: “My only son Paul had his life snuffed out in seconds through no fault of his own.
“No sentence will ever be enough to take away the pain I feel that I will not get the chance to spend the rest of my life with him.
“I have been given great support by my family, friends and the police but nothing can prepare you for the death of your child and nothing takes away the sorrow.
“Paul was more relaxed and happy than he had been for years when he was taken from us.
“I feel robbed that I won’t get to enjoy this phase of his life with him – all because of the selfish actions of Alison Bowen.
“I would like to thank all those that stopped at the scene of the crash and tried to help Paul.”
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