Driver who caused Wiltshire teenager's death jailed

Jamie Lee Hitt, 21, has been sentenced to eight years in prison

A man who drove with no licence or insurance has been sentenced to five years in prison for causing the death of a teenager by dangerous driving.

Jamie Lee Hitt, of North Wiltshire, lost control of a Ford Fiesta and crashed into a garden wall and tree in The Mead, Westbury, on 5 February 2021.

Passenger Bethany Michelle Ovenden-Gumm, 18, died in the crash and two more passengers were seriously hurt.

Hitt, 21, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on Tuesday.

He was sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment with a four-year driving ban.

At an earlier hearing he admitted causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing death while unlicensed and uninsured.

Bethany Michelle Ovenden-Gumm, 18, died when the car she was a passenger in hit a garden wall and a tree in Westbury

Ms Ovenden-Gumm died at the scene and two other passengers, Scarlett Clark-Taylor, 20, and Megan Hicks, 19, were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

During sentencing, Judge Richard Parkes spoke of the life-changing injuries and long-term effects they had suffered as a result of the crash.

Investigating officer, Pete Fennell, of Wiltshire Police, said the case had highlighted how "devastating" dangerous driving could be.

Flowers and tributes were left at the scene of the crash which took place on 5 February 2021

"There are no winners in this terrible tragedy. It has brought misery to many people. No sentence will ever bring Bethany back or help those who have had their lives changed," he said.

"In one night, this young man has devastated many people's lives. I would ask all drivers to consider their behaviour when behind the steering wheel and think of the potential consequence of their actions," he added.

Judge Parkes said he had reduced the sentence by a third due to Hitt's early guilty plea.

Ms Ovenden-Gumm, from Westbury, studied childcare at Trowbridge College and in an earlier tribute her family said she had "the most beautiful smile, a big heart and kind soul".