Nadine Foster: Speeding driver convicted of killing young Stourbridge mum
A driver has been convicted of causing the death of a young mother after a second car he was said to have been racing against crashed.
The two cars reached speeds of 80mph when one of them skidded and hit a wall, killing passenger Nadine Foster, aged 18, in Stourbridge.
Joseph Chance was unanimously convicted of causing the death of Ms Foster by dangerous driving following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
The driver of the car in which Ms Foster was a passenger has already admitted causing her death by driving dangerously.
Chance, aged 25, who, the court heard, did not have a full driving licence, looked distressed after being told he was being remanded in custody to await his sentence next month
Judge Michael Challinor told him: "You have been convicted of a very serious offence. A significant sentence of imprisonment is inevitable.
"I see no reason for you to enjoy bail here after. You will therefore be remanded into custody until sentence."
The trial had been told that Chance, of Murcroft Road, Stourbridge, and friend Dylan Stringer were 'racing' in two cars when the fatal crash happened last April.
Former Dudley College student Ms Foster, who was a front seat passenger in Stringer's Ford Focus, was left with serious injuries when the car ploughed into a wall.
The mother, who also studied at Stourbridge’s Pedmore Technology College, died in hospital 10 days later.
During the trial, jurors were told the three had been drinking in Stourbridge's Chicago Rock Cafe before leaving the Rye Market bar in the early hours of April 16.
They headed in the same direction towards the victim's Stourbridge home, before the two drivers began exceeding the speed limit in Hagley Road, Oldswinford.
Chance, who was driving a Renault Clio, rocketed across the road at high speed with Springer behind, both overtaking another vehicle.
The jury of seven men and five women heard there were just two seconds between the two cars as they reached speeds of almost 80mph before Springer's Ford Focus crashed.
Prosecutor Mr Paul Spatt maintained if Chance had not been driving dangerously, the deadly crash would not have occurred.
Taking the stand during his trial, Chance claimed he was not responsible for the fatal smash and denied the drivers had been racing.
The defendant, who previously admitted driving dangerously but denied causing Ms Foster's death, recalled the moment he looked in his rear view mirror and spotted Stringer's car 'skid' on the dark, wet morning.
He described being left shocked after seeing the overturned car following the smash and rushed to the scene, trying to unsuccessfully push the vehicle back upright.
Chance, who has seven convictions for nine offences - which includes assaulting former partners - added: "I helped get her out of the car. I took my own top off and put it over her to cover her up."
Stringer, of Wychbury Road, Stourbridge, previously admitted causing the death of Miss Foster by driving dangerously.
Both men are due to appear before the court for sentence on November 7.
