‘Irresponsible show off' sentenced after killing schoolgirl crossing the road

South Wales Guardian

3 days ago

Christopher West, 42, hit Keely Morgan with his Vauxhall Astra on Heol Trelai, Caerau, Cardiff at about 9.30pm on May 1 2023.
She died at the scene.
West, who was driving over the 30mph speed limit, failed to see the teenager, despite her being lit up by an iPad she had been using at the pedestrian crossing.
Keely had overcome significant health problems ahead of her death, having undergone a kidney transplant in 2021 to save her life.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that West's two daughters and their friend had been in the car during the incident.
One of the passengers told the police West had been 'snaking' along the road and had removed his car's black box, invalidating his insurance, to show off to them.
West, from Ely, previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing death while uninsured.
However, the defendant initially claimed the car's black box had been disconnected while he was working on the car, and he had forgotten to reconnect it and his driving had been normal.
His passengers said that was not correct.
Judge Paul Hobson branded West as an 'irresponsible show off' at a sentencing hearing on Thursday.
'Keely Morgan was just 15-years-old when she died on May 1 2023,' he said.
'Keely died as a result of your actions, as a result of your careless driving that evening.'
He added: 'You should have seen her and come to a stop in order to allow her to cross.
'Instead, you continued driving, oblivious to her, meaning that when Keely stepped into the road, you collided with her.'
He described Keely as a young woman who was part of a 'large family network' and her loss had 'devastated those who loved her'.
The judge said it was 'plain' that West had been driving over the 30mph limit the road had at the time.
West had been described as 'apologetic' and in a state of panic after the collision.
But the judge said: 'Any remorse that you have is overshadowed by your attempts to minimise your level of responsibility, to the extent of challenging what your own passengers were saying.
'Although you may well be sorry for what happened to Keely, a large part of your concern is for yourself.'
The judge handed West a 16-month prison sentence and disqualified him from driving for two years and eight months.
As he was sent down, there were shouts of 'f*** off' and 'disgusting' from the public gallery.