US Air Force officer receives suspended jail after fatal Suffolk crash
US Air Force officer Jasmine Dessaure was given a suspended 12-month sentence after pleading guilty to causing the deaths of a married couple in a head-on collision on a Suffolk road.
In April 2023, a collision on the B1106 road through Thetford Forest resulted in the deaths of Dilipan Sebastiampillai, 43, and his 41-year-old wife Dorota, both from London’s Haringey borough. The crash occurred when US Air Force officer Jasmine Dessaure, 37, driving a Jeep Cherokee at about 40 mph, experienced a brief lapse of concentration, causing her vehicle to veer and hit the Nissan Note head-on. Both vehicles left the carriageway and the Nissan ignited.
Dessaure pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless driving. At Peterborough Crown Court, Judge Sean Enright imposed a 12-month prison term suspended for two years, an 18-month driving disqualification and ordered 180 hours of community service. Prosecutor Mark Tomassi emphasized the tragedy and noted no aggravating factors, while defense counsel Ali Bajwa highlighted Dessaure’s remorse.
Why it matters
The case shows how a US service member is held accountable for a fatal traffic accident abroad.
In this story
