A drink and drug driver who killed a young mum as she protected her three-year-old child has been jailed for more than 10 years.

Bradley Cain, 25, hit Lisa Chapman, a 28-year-old married mum-of-three, in Church Hill, Charing Heath, but then drove away, leaving her in the road.

He was discovered asleep in bed after abandoning his Ford Fiesta which had also struck another car and forced another vehicle to swerve before hitting a speed sign.

Cain, of Lenham Heath Road, Lenham, initially denied being the driver despite being over the limits for alcohol, cocaine and cannabis after spending the day at Faversham Hop Festival on Saturday, September 2 this year.

His dangerous driving has now left three children without a mum and in danger of losing their home, Maidstone Crown Court has heard.

Cain, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident and not reporting it, has now been jailed for 10 years and 10 months and banned from driving for 206 months.

As he was being led away to begin his sentence a member of the family rushed from the public gallery shouting at Cain and had to be restrained by a police officer.

"It would appear she was able to throw her child to safety in the instance before the collision but stood no chance of taking any evasive action herself..."

Prosecutor Alex Krikler had told the court how the mum had been with her three-year-old son, who escaped with minor physical injuries in the horror smash.

"Sadly Lisa suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene,” he said. “She had been celebrating a christening at the Charing Heath and Lenham Heath Memorial Hall in Church Hill.

"It seems that she left the party in order to retrieve something from her vehicle, which was parked a short distance away."

Cain had parked his red Ford Fiesta in a friend's driveway before going to the festival but had returned home and after collecting the car drove away, scraping his friend's car.

A few minutes later, his car was seen driving erratically and at speed shortly before the collision.

"It would appear she was able to throw her child to safety in the instance before the collision but stood no chance of taking any evasive action herself," said the prosecutor.

Cain didn't stop but drove away at speed and another driver had to swerve to avoid the Ford which he estimated was driving at 70mph in the 30mph area.

After hitting a sign, he abandoned the vehicle and ran away to his home where he was arrested at 12.30am.

"It was clear to the officers that Cain was intoxicated, his eyes were bloodshot. He was covered in mud and dried blood," added Mr Krikler.

Scientific analysis revealed that at the time of the crash Cain was more than twice over the drink-drive limit and had an estimated three times the cocaine and twice the cannabis limits in his system.

“She was the loveliest person you'd ever meet...”

The victim's father David Chapman said in a Victim Impact Statement: "We have a very special bond. She was a proper family girl. She was the loveliest person you'd ever meet.

"Lisa was my girl. She'd help anybody. If she had a pound and somebody never had no money she'd either give them the pound or she'd share it with them."

He also revealed that the family feared losing their home following the tragedy. He wrote: "They are going to take the house off them (the children). It's spiteful. It's wicked. It’s cruel. They have had the house for seven years. Everything they've got is in the house."

Lisa's brother David Jnr revealed the three-year-old still suffers if he sees a red car.

Max Reeves, defending, said Cain had written a letter, which read his life had been spiralling out of control because of his addictions but he now wanted to turn his life around.

Following the hearing, investigating officer DS Faye Murphy said: “My thoughts are with Lisa’s family during what must have been and continues to be a very difficult time for them. This tragic incident should never have happened, and it goes to show that speeding and driving under the influence of drink and drugs, poses a serious risk to others.

“There is no excuse for his actions which have ruined many lives and I’m just pleased to see him jailed for what he did.”