A banned driver high on cannabis killed a former soldier when he ploughed into the back of his stationary car at up to 87mph. 

Rowan Grant, 34, had been weaving in and out of traffic before smashing into Andrew Lister's car as he waited at a roundabout in Nottingham. 

Mr Lister, 36, sustained serious injuries and died later in hospital.

His partner Laura Whatton suffered multiple fractures and spent weeks in hospital after the crash in December. 

Grant, a disqualified driver with a previous conviction for dangerous driving, initially tried to blame his girlfriend claiming she had fled the scene when in fact she was miles away and he had taken her car without her permission. 

Nottingham Crown Court heard he tested positive for cannabis after the crash and was also suffering from a brain injury which caused regular seizures but refused to take medication for his condition. 

He also had a number of previous convictions including for robbery, drugs offences, possession of an offensive weapon, controlling and coercive behaviour, breaching a restraining order and a number of other driving matters.  

Grant pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for ten years at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday and banned from driving for life.

Luc Chignell, prosecuting, said: 'Mr Grant resolutely should not have been on the road having been disqualified from driving in 2011 and having been convicted of a number of driving offences since.

'He also suffers epilepsy and suffers documented seizures around twice a week but he refuses to take any medication.

'With that background he chose to drive his partner's car around the outskirts of Nottingham in a reckless manner and it ended in tragedy when he drove at high speed into a stationary car containing Andrew Lister who was killed and his partner suffered life-changing injuries.'

The court heard he was trying to overtake a bus seconds before the crash and had accelerated from 75mph to 87mph before ploughing into a lane where a line of traffic was waiting at around 12.30pm on December 9. 

The prosecutor said: 'He collided with Mr Lister's vehicle and further vehicles were hit as well as others in the opposite lane but thankfully no one else was injured.

'The hospital found him (Grant) to be considerably over the limit for THC (the primary compound of cannabis).'

Mr Lister died the following day, despite the best efforts of medics.

His partner suffered multiple fractures and was placed on a ventilator.

She had to have vertebrae of her spine fused and required a walking frame to get around when she was finally released from hospital weeks later. 

Grant, who was also injured in the crash, was said to have shown little concern for what he had done, either at the scene or later in hospital when he was 'aggressive and abusive' towards officers who had arrived to take him into custody. 

During his police interview later the same day, he gave mostly 'no comment' answers to questions.

He later claimed to have suffered an epileptic seizure behind the wheel, although he did not explain how he had managed to carry out several overtaking manoeuvres before the crash or why he made no mention of it in the immediate aftermath.

In an impact statement Michael Lister, the victim's father, said: 'On December 9, 2025, our family's life was torn apart when our beloved Andrew's life was taken by the selfish and reckless actions of another.

'Andrew served in the army for five years and his zest for life touched everyone.

'He has a daughter who he adored and he had huge enthusiasm to watch Derby County.

'I recently had my 70th birthday and Andrew's presence was missed.'

In her statement Mr Lister's partner Ms Whatton said: 'We had only returned from a holiday in Scotland the day before.

'His death makes me feel angry and confused and I feel cheated out of a life with him.'

Jailing Grant, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC told him: 'When you decided to drive that car, and from the moment you did drive it, you drove it dangerously.

'You'd had plenty of warnings before.

'Doctors had been saying to you, you had a brain injury, you had epilepsy, and could not survive properly without medication and you, steadfastly, refused to accept that.

'(Instead) you chose to medicate yourself with cannabis.

'I reject your claim that you had suffered an epileptic seizure.

'You were playing Russian roulette with yourself but when you pulled the trigger the bullet hit others and you killed a 36-year-old man.

'His partner, who wanted a life with him, now has no life of her own.

'What did you say to the police? Let me remind you.

'You said 'I was not driving, it was my girlfriend, she has run off and is making her way to hospital.'

'You were prepared to lie about it.'  

Mr Lister's family described him as 'beloved son with an infectious zest for life'.

They said in a statement: 'Andrew was a young man in his prime. He had a good job, a loving partner, a daughter he adored and everything to live for.

'Everyone he met, he treated with love, kindness and a cheeky smile that we will never see again.

'Our grief as a family is on a different level to anything we have ever felt.

'Everything we do and everywhere we go, we find ourselves saying, 'Andrew would love this' or 'we must take Andrew here'.

'Then we realise he is no longer here, and he will never do these things.

'But we remember him with love and affection every day.

'His zest for life was infectious and touched everyone he came into contact with.'

Case Investigator Sarah Butler, of Nottinghamshire Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said afterwards: 'Grant was responsible that day for a scene of total devastation, with numerous vehicles sustaining catastrophic damage and coming to rest across the road.

'The victims in this case were simply waiting at a red light when their lives were shattered by a man who should never have been behind the wheel of a car in the first place.

'His dishonesty at the scene shows exactly the kind of person he is, as do his repeated decisions to take to the road as a disqualified driver.

'As Grant begins this jail sentence, my thoughts and those of my colleagues are with Andrew's partner, his family and his loved ones, and all the people whose lives he has devastated.'