Zoe Graham, the wife of singer Rag'n'Bone Man, has received a suspended prison sentence after admitting to causing serious injury by careless driving. The collision occurred on August 9, 2023, when Graham's Range Rover crashed into a Ford car driven by Samantha Keen. Keen, a mother of three, was reportedly driving her children to an animal rescue center when the incident happened.
Graham was attempting to overtake a tractor on a stretch of road in East Sussex marked with double white lines when she failed to see three cars ahead, including Keen's vehicle which was turning right. The impact caused Keen's car to be thrown from the road. Graham, 38, crashed into Keen's car at approximately 55 mph.
Samantha Keen lost consciousness during the crash and described experiencing severe pain upon regaining it, unable to feel her legs. She reportedly begged off-duty paramedics who arrived at the scene not to let her die, fearing her children would be orphaned, especially as her husband had died by suicide the previous year. Her eldest child asked if their mother was going to the same place their father had gone.
Keen sustained a broken ankle, cuts to her face and head, damage to her right hip, and other injuries. Her three children suffered cuts and bruises but were physically unharmed. The family was left mentally traumatized, with the children requiring counseling for PTSD. Keen was left with physical and mental injuries, requiring months of use of an ankle boot and crutches, and suffering from concussion and post-concussion migraines, which impacted her ability to care for her children. Her car, a significant purchase made with funds received after her husband's death, was destroyed.
Graham, who married singer Rory Graham in 2021, broke down in tears in court. She stated she was late to pick up her sons and had experienced anxiety due to past domestic abuse from an ex-partner who would intentionally make her late. She expressed deep remorse for her actions, emphasizing that she had never intended to harm anyone and understood the trauma children could experience.
At Hove Crown Court, Judge David Rennie acknowledged Graham's remorse and noted that the incident was out of character. He handed down a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, stating that Graham would not be sent to prison that day but would face serious consequences if she breached the terms of the suspension. The judge described the case as "horrendous" and noted that both families had been left traumatized.
Zoe Graham was initially charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of causing serious injury by careless driving. The crash occurred on a road with double white lines, which prohibit overtaking, and the judge highlighted that overtaking in such conditions was inherently dangerous.