Fiona Hodge’s lapse of concentration killed Donna Crossman, as she was walking to a Take That concert in BristolWoman found guilty of killing pedestrian heading to Take That concert (unedited interview)
A woman has been jailed after she was found guilty of causing the death of a woman walking to a Take That concert in Bristol two years ago.
Fiona Hodge was found guilty of causing death by careless driving back in April, and has now been sentenced at Bristol Crown Court. She was sentenced to one year in prison, ordered to pay more than £3,000 in legal costs and has been banned from driving for two-and-a-half years.
Hodge accepted she was behind the wheel of her red Citroen car as it travelled over the A370 Brunel Way, but pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charge of causing the death of Donna Crossman.
A week-long trial heard one of the world’s leading experts on epilepsy tell the jury that it was likely she had suffered from undiagnosed epilepsy at the time of the crash, and was experiencing a ‘complex partial seizure’ as she drove north on Brunel Way.
Her car left the road and mounted the pavement on which three friends were walking towards the June 2024 Take That concert at Ashton Gate.
The car narrowly missed the first two women, but knocked Donna Crossman off the flyover, and onto the park below, causing her catastrophic injuries that proved fatal.
Fiona Hodge arriving at Bristol Crown court where, Monday 20 April 2026(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach Plc)
The jury at Hodge’s trial found her guilty after prosecutors said that they could decide that, on the balance of probabilities, she was not having an epileptic seizure at the time of the crash. Hodge has already lodged an appeal against her conviction.
After Hodge’s conviction, the parents of Donna Crossman told Bristol Live said they ‘can finally start to grieve’, a sentiment they echoed outside court.
“Having now heard the sentencing of Fiona Hodge for her careless driving and the killing of our wonderful daughter Donna, it brings a conclusion to the two-year fight for justice for her,” Stephen and Annette Price said.
“Whatever the sentence was, it will not bring our beloved daughter back, but it goes some way to righting a wrong and prove the British legal system works.
“We would like to thank everyone in the prosecution team, especially Mr Adam Vaitilingham KC for his excellent work as prosecution counsel and, of course, the jury for seeing the truth. Perhaps we can now take time to grieve properly,” they added.
Donna Crossman, from South Wales, who was killed in an RTC on Brunel Way/Plimsoll Bridge on her way to a Take That concert at Ashton Gate in Bristol, on June 9, 2024(Image: Price family handout)
The designated investigating officer from Avon & Somerset police was Noelie Poupard, from the Serious Collision Investigation Team. After the hearing, she said the year in prison ‘reflects the seriousness’ of what happened.
“No sentence can undo the devastating loss suffered by Donna’s family, who described her as the rock of their family and whose lives were changed forever by this collision,” she said.
“For more than two years they have waited with remarkable strength, dignity and patience for this case to conclude. Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of the consequences of Hodge’s actions and provides a measure of accountability for what happened.
“Our thoughts remain with Donna’s loved ones, and I hope that the conclusion of these proceedings allows them to begin to move forward, knowing that justice has now been delivered,” she added.