THE daughter of a man killed by a drink driver is pleading with motorists not to mix driving and alcohol this Christmas.

Toni Callegari made her plea after the drink driver who mowed down her father was jailed for just over three years.

Victim John Eastland, 64, was walking back to his home in Four Oaks Road, Headcorn, near Maidstone, after doing a neighbour a favour, on the evening of November 20, 2005, when, with one foot on his driveway and the other in the road, he was hit by Graham Dutton’s car. He died instantly.

Mrs Callegari, from Headcorn, said she did not want other families to go through the same suffering and heartache as she and her family had endured.

“Christmas and New Year is the worst time of the year for drink driving,” she said. “I hope by speaking out it will make people think twice about getting into their cars after drinking and either hurting or killing other people or themselves.”

The mother of two said she and her brother, Paul, felt cheated by the death of their father after he had fought back from a life-threatening illness in 2001.

“He had fully recovered and could have had another 20 years with us. Now my two little boys and my brother’s son have to grow up without their grandad.”

Born and bred in Staplehurst, retired engineer John Eastland had lived at his home since 1976 and was well-known in the area. He was one of the founders of the Staplehurst-based Hop Engineering firm.

His funeral on December 6, 2005, at All Saints Church, Staplehurst – where he had been christened – attracted more than 300 mourners. “Everyone knew dad and everyone liked dad,” she said.

Mrs Callegari said she was angered to discover at Dutton’s trail that he had a previous conviction for drink driving and condemned his 38-month jail sentence as lenient, particularly as it was indicated he could be freed after serving half that time.

“How can someone with a previous conviction for drink driving go out and drink five pints, drive off and kill someone and then get only 19 months inside? That’s nothing and it doesn’t send out the right message,” she said.

“It is no deterrent to stop other people. I feel the judge’s hands were tied but do feel our justice system has let us down. If there were stiffer sentences maybe people would think twice about drink driving.

“I do feel sorry for his partner, children and family. It is not just our lives which have been pulled apart and destroyed for something that did not need to happen,” she added.

FULL STORY IN THE WEALD EDITION OF THIS WEEK'S KENT MESSENGER