During a police chase, a man admitted to killing a young woman by driving the wrong way on a main road in a stolen van.
Ashley Loveday, 38, was driving a Peugeot Boxer van when the accident occurred on the A13 in east London on November 25, last year.
Grace Payne, 21, was killed in the crash while riding in a Toyota Prius Uber vehicle.
Sunder Ali, the Uber driver, was seriously injured but survived.
Prior to entering the A13, the van failed to stop for Essex Police officers.
The vehicle was then pursued by police on the correct side of the road.
Following a fatal crash on the A13 last week, a driver is still in critical condition in hospital (November 25). The collision occurred around 2.35 a.m. on Friday when a van drove the wrong way down the eastbound carriageway and collided head-on with a Toyota Prius.
During a police pursuit, a driver went the wrong way down the A13 and was seriously injured.
Ms Payne, a university graduate, was said to be working at an architecture firm and was on her way home to Upminster in east London after a night out with colleagues when her vehicle was hit.
Loveday appeared in the dock of the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a plea hearing.
He admitted that his reckless driving on the A1306, Marsh Way, and A13 caused Ms Payne’s death and seriously injured Mr Ali.
Loveday, of Avondale Road, Canning Town, east London, also admitted to aggravated vehicle taking on or before November 22, last year.
Judge Alexia Durran directed that a probation report focus on how dangerous Loveday was to the public.
The facts of what happened were not discussed during the hearing, but it was confirmed that the defendant would not contest them.
Loveday was remanded in jail until his sentencing on March 9th.
“Grace’s death has left us, along with the rest of her family and friends, devastated,” Ms Payne’s parents said after her death in December.
“We are struggling to accept the fact that our daughter will never return home.”
What words can we use to describe Grace? She made us proud in a variety of ways. Her friends said she had the ability to brighten their day because she was caring, compassionate, bright, funny, and bubbly.
“When she walked out of a room, she left everyone happier than when she walked in. She was always eager to assist and make others happy. She adored children, and despite enjoying her job in human resources, she stated that her long-term goal was to retrain as a primary school teacher when she turned 30.
When she helped her Dad and brother, Jack, coach the juniors at Brentwood Cricket Club, she was usually entrusted with the youngest age groups, supplying cuddles whenever necessary.
Grace graduated this year from the University of Kent with a degree in history and philosophy. She spent the majority of the summer in Europe with university friends, visiting Italy, Greece, Sicily, Barcelona, and Amsterdam.
We took family vacations to Devon and Wales. She passed her driving test, celebrated her 21st birthday, and began working for an architecture firm in London that she fell in love with right away.
“It had been a very happy, exciting, and hectic year. She was a 21-year-old woman who was resuming her life after being imprisoned by Covid. When Grace was out with a group of friends, it was always said that she was the one responsible for making sure everyone else got home safely.
“Last week, she went out with coworkers on their regular Thursday night out. Sadly, she never returned home.”
