A driver who ploughed into a tent killing an Aberystwyth mother has been jailed for eight years and four months.

Unlicensed driver Jake Waterhouse, 26, had admitted causing the death of Anna Evans by dangerous driving, as well as other charges including failing to give a specimen on suspicion of drink-driving, and driving without insurance or a driving licence.

Mrs Evans died just over a week after she was hit by the car being driven by Waterhouse while she was camping on Monday, 19 August, in north Wales.

She had been in a tent at the Rhyd y Galen campsite near Caernarfon when she was struck by the car being driven by Waterhouse.

Waterhouse had already hit another tent, leaving one man with injuries before he drove over the tent Mrs Evans was in.

She was taken to hospital in Stoke, but sadly died on Tuesday, 27 August having not regained consciousness.

Sergeant Dafydd Curry, of North Wales Police, said: “This was a horrific incident, where the mindless actions of an individual have taken the life of an innocent person.”

Sentencing in the case had been delayed at a previous hearing, but Waterhouse had been warned he was facing a substantial prison sentence.

As well as the prison term of eight years and four months, Waterhouse, of Hazel Walk, Partington in Manchester, was banned from driving for 12 years and four months.

Sergeant Curry added: “North Wales Police welcome the sentencing today.

“The loss of life in any circumstance is a terrible ordeal for any family to suffer, however, in this case Jake Waterhouse, who tested positive for the influence of alcohol upon his initial arrest, chose to drive that car around a campsite, where people rightly have an expectation of safety.

“His selfish, reckless actions are devastating, and this message has been reflected in the sentence passed today.”

Mrs Evans’s family thanked North Wales Police for the force’s handling of the investigation, and asked for privacy following the case.

The sad death of talented artist Mrs Evans saw a host of tributes paid to her from former colleagues and from people who had worked on a range of arts projects with her.

She worked at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, and had been involved in several arts projects at Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

She was so influential in arts projects that family and friends launched a grant scheme in Mrs Evans’s name to provide funding for local artists.

After setting an initial target of raising £5,000 on Just Giving for the grant, that target was smashed with the current total raised – £9,200 – almost double the initial target.