Driver given suspended sentence over woman's death

Lamara Sneddon, 19, died in hospital three days after the crash

An inexperienced driver who caused the death of a teenage girl and seriously injured three other people in a crash has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Lamara Sneddon, 19, died after the car she was travelling in was caught up in a three-vehicle collision at a junction on the A52 near Swaton, Lincolnshire, in October 2023.

Van driver George Rowledge, 28, admitted causing death and serious injury by careless driving at Lincoln Crown Court.

The court heard that Rowledge, of Fennell Road, Spalding, had passed his driving test seven months earlier.

Neil Sands, prosecuting, said Rowledge was trying to cross the A52 from the village of Swaton when he collided with the rear of a Mercedes car

The force of the collision caused the Mercedes to hit a Citroën car head-on.

Ms Sneddon, who was a passenger in the Citroën, died in hospital three days later, just before her 20th birthday.

Mr Sands said Rowledge remained at the scene of the collision and the driver of the Mercedes recalled him saying: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Rowledge told another witness: "It's my fault, I'm so sorry."

He later explained he did not see the Mercedes and clipped it.

'Living nightmare'

A victim impact statement was read out from Ms Sneddon's father, who was travelling with his daughter and also suffered multiple injuries.

He described the impact of the collision as a "living nightmare" and said "my whole world fell apart."

"Lamara was my life," he added.

Ms Sneddon's mother also suffered serious injuries and required surgery for mobility issues.

She described the unbearable guilt of surviving the collision.

Impact statements were also read out from Ms Sneddon's two sisters and the driver of the Mercedes, who also suffered significant injuries.

A letter from Rowledge to the Sneddon family was also read out.

He explained that as a father of two young daughters he could not imagine their pain and "lived with it every day."

Passing sentence, Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight said it was an "unsafe manoeuvre" which killed one person and caused serious injury to three others, adding "you could and should have seen vehicles on the A52".

As well as the suspended sentence, Rowledge must complete 250 hours of unpaid work and obey a four-month curfew.

He was also banned from driving for three years and must take an extended retest.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices