A CLACTON mum who self-medicated a huge overdose of painkillers the day before a fatal car crash did so because she was in unbearable pain, a court heard.

Kelly Cox was jailed on Thursday after Judge Christopher Morgan ruled the 35-year-old had disregarded medical advice by taking more than the recommended dose of Tramadol, a painkiller.

The conviction came in relation to a crash which saw Kelly's BMW X5 plough into an oncoming Citroen which was being driven by Norman Austin, 84, which resulted in his death.

Nine hours after the incident, a blood sample was taken from Cox which found she had a concentration of the drug in her blood measuring 895 milligrams per litre.

But defence barrister Lynne Shirley said Cox had only taken the painkillers because of chronic pain she has suffered since a caesarean procedure in 2008.

She said: “The reason for the Tramadol was because of extreme pain and chronic conditions – it simply was having very little effect.

“The pain was not being managed, hence she took the medication.

“She lost a child 15 years ago and she simply wouldn't have put her children at risk, and she doesn’t accept that she deliberately overdosed."

Shirley added that Cox is the primary carer for her two children who have learning difficulties, and had suffered from mental after the death of her one-month-old baby from septicaemia 15 years ago.