Lincolnshire crash death families call for stronger sentences

Amy Cooper died in hospital the day after the crash in November 2022

Two bereaved Lincolnshire families are calling for longer sentences for people who cause death by dangerous driving.

A change in the law in 2022 increased the maximum punishment to life in prison.

However, the family of 20-year-old Amy Cooper, killed by a disqualified driver, said life terms were not being given, due to sentencing guidelines.

The Sentencing Council said judges must choose the most appropriate sentence based on individual facts of each case.

Amy's mum, Amanda Cooper said: "There is no justice for the person who has died, for their families.

"We all miss Amy so much, but it comes down to barristers in a court room arguing over the law.

"It feels like your loss is being treated as a box-ticking exercise", she said.

"The police on the ground, the paramedics, the emergency services, the staff in the hospital were all amazing. But it's that justice system.

"They could make it easier for you if they saw victims and their families as human beings."

Ms Cooper died after being hit on her motorcycle by Shane Kelk, 28, as she rode home on the B1168 near Holbeach in November 2022.

Lincoln Crown Court, heard Kelk had left Amy "dying in the road" as he fled the scene on foot.

He was jailed for eight years and three months after admitting a string of motoring offences, including causing death by dangerous driving.

Amy's sister Sam Pointon, 29, said there was a long term impact on family and friends.

"You do your sentence and you move on but we are left without Amy," she said.

"On what would have been her 21st birthday her best friend and mum went out and put a 21 balloon where she died.

"That shouldn't be your 21st. It shouldn't be a little balloon on the side of a dark road where you were killed."

Jade Carter, 25, Paul Carter, 41, his wife Lisa, 49, were killed in the crash on 15 January 2023

Paul Carter, 41, his wife Lisa Carter, 49, and her 25-year-old daughter Jade from Gedney died when the were hit by a speeding driver in last year.

Aurelijus Cielevicius, 39, from King's Lynn, Norfolk was jailed for 10 and a half years after Norwich Crown Court heard he was "on a cocktail of drugs" and travelling at 96mph (154km/h) on the wrong side of the road.

Mrs Carter's daughter Summer Mace is campaigning for tougher sentences.

"I still wake up every day hoping it's all a nightmare and that one day they'll be back," she said.

"But you have that realisation where your heart drops and you realise this is it. It's never going to change."

Ms Mace has met the attorney general to ask for their family's case to be looked at again in the hope for a longer sentence.

She has also started a petition calling for people convicted of causing death by dangerous driving to be given life sentences.

Summer Mace has met the attorney general as part of her campaign

Her campaign is being supported by the crash victims charity Roadpeace.

Spokeswoman Rebecca Morris said: "This is not just one family or one area of the country.

"This is happening all the time. People are feeling let down by the justice system week after week, all over the country."

Campaigners point to guidelines handed to judges by the Sentencing Council a year after the law changed.

They suggest people should serve between two and 18 years, increasing and decreasing with aggravating or mitigating factors.

The Sentencing Council said it could not comment on individual cases, but said: "Judges and magistrates use the guidelines to determine the most appropriate sentence for a particular offence, based on the individual facts of the case.

"Judges and magistrates must follow any relevant sentencing guidelines unless to do so would be contrary to the interests of justice."

The Ministry of Justice said: "These were terrible crimes and our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the victims.

"While independent judges decide sentences, we increased the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving to life imprisonment so that punishments can fit the severity of the crime. Those convicted are now going to jail for longer than ever before."