‘Reckless' mum filmed her young child driving around UK Village
Sophie-Leigh Gemmell, 32, has been ordered to carry out 134 hours of unpaid work after letting the girl drive the vehicle through a Scottish village in bad weather.
Ms Gemmell previously admitted culpable and reckless conduct for the incident which took place in Crimond, Aberdeenshire.
The video of the incident, which happened on July 10 last year, was seen on social media.
It showed the child driving in the dark while peering over the steeling wheel as music plays and her mother cheers.
At Peterhead Sheriff Court on Monday, Gemmell was given a 134-hour community payback order – reduced from 200 due to her plea.
Sheriff Alan Sinclair said said her actions were 'reckless in the extreme'.
But he said a custodial sentence would have been 'disproportionate'. The court heard she had no previous criminal record.
He told the mother that she and the girl were 'very fortunate' not to have suffered more serious consequences and added that allowing a child to operate machinery could have caused injury to both the occupants of the car and the wider public.
The sheriff said filming the incident 'defies any reasonable explanation'.
Gemmell's defence agent said the 32-year-old had difficult family circumstances and was the victim of domestic abuse.
He said her behaviour was an attempt at 'levity' during a 'dire' time for the family.
The defence agent said Gemmell admitted her 'behaviour was completely foolish' and a result of 'poor decision-making'.
He said she wished to apologise to the court and showed 'genuine remorse' for her actions and an 'acceptance' that 'the behaviour was wrong and a willingness to accept that'.
He added that a social work report found she was 'of no risk of further offending' and 'does not need supervision'.
The defence said Gemmell 'appreciates and understands this is a serious matter' that 'could have had serious consequences' and that she recognised she deserves to be punished for her actions.
Gemmell must complete her unpaid work within 12 months.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
New strict gun laws to be introduced after tragic shootings
Individuals with a history of violence or domestic abuse will now be barred from owning firearms under stringent new regulations introduced this week. The guidance, issued on Tuesday, directly addresses concerns from coroners and campaigners following recent fatal shootings in Woodmancote, Sussex, and Keyham, near Plymouth. Under the updated directives, police officers will be mandated to interview partners or other household members of firearms licence applicants. This aims to uncover signs of domestic abuse or other factors making an individual unsuitable to possess a weapon. Forces must also conduct rigorous checks to ensure those with a documented record of violence are prevented from holding a firearms licence. This policy shift comes two years after an inquest highlighted 'catastrophic failures' within the licensing system, which allowed Keyham gunman Jake Davison to legally own a shotgun despite his violent history. Davison, then 22, killed his mother and four others, including a three-year-old girl, in an eight-minute shooting spree in August 2021 before taking his own life. Evidence of dishonesty will also count against an application, including withholding relevant medical history. Robert Needham, who killed his partner Kelly Fitzgibbons and their daughters Ava and Lexi with a legally owned shotgun at their home in Woodmancote in 2020, was given a licence despite admitting that he had failed to disclose a history of depression and work-related stress. Emma Ambler, Ms Fitzgibbons' sister, welcomed the changes but said there was 'still some way to go'. She said: 'I still believe that holding a gun licence is a privilege and not a right. 'The priority has to be the safety of society and it's so important to stop these extremely dangerous weapons falling into the wrong hands, which these changes will go some way to doing.' Tuesday's changes will also mean applicants for shotgun licences now require two referees rather than one, bringing the process into line with the rules for other firearms. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'Only those who meet the highest standards of safety and responsibility should be permitted to use shotguns or firearms, and it is crucial that police have full information about the suitability of all applicants for these lethal weapons. 'The events in Woodmancote in 2020, Plymouth in 2021 and other cases provide a tragic reminder of what can happen when these weapons are in the hands of the wrong people, and we must do everything we can to protect the public.' Controls on shotgun ownership could be further toughened after another consultation, due to be launched later this year, that will also seek views on improving the rules on private firearms sales. The new consultation follows the case of Nicholas Prosper, who killed his mother, Juliana Falcon, and siblings Giselle and Kyle Prosper in Luton in 2024. Prosper, 19, had been able to purchase a shotgun and 100 cartridges from a legitimate firearms dealer after forging a licence. He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 49 years after pleading guilty to the murders earlier this year.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Would-be gun owners face more checks under new rules - but critics say the move is not enough
Police are to carry out more checks under new rules to stop violent offenders and domestic abusers getting guns – but critics say the reforms do not go far enough. The tighter controls brought in by the Home Office from today follow criticism by the coroner who oversaw the Plymouth mass shootings inquest. Ian Arrow said a 'root and branch reform' of firearms legislation was needed as gun laws are 'at odds with public safety' after Jake Davison, 22, used a legally-held shotgun in 2021 to kill his mother and four others before he shot himself. Those applying for a shotgun will now need to show that two individuals who have known them for at least two years can vouch for their suitability. And they must declare all convictions. Police will also speak to partners and household members to identify any signs of domestic abuse or violence. Evidence of dishonesty or concerns about a someone's integrity may also prevent an application being approved. Previously, gun owners required a single referee before undergoing police checks. Yesterday campaigners said the reforms did not go far enough. Emma Ambler's twin sister Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, was shot dead by her partner Rob Needham. He gunned down her and her children Ava, four, and Lexi, two, as they were in bed in West Sussex in 2020. The depressed 42-year-old, who got a firearms licence by lying to police about his criminal record and cocaine addiction, then shot himself. She said: 'We need a national firearms licence database, we need more regular reviews of those that have firearms. 'There also seems to be nothing to stop people making a copy of a licence, like Nicholas Prosper. That has not even been considered.' Last year, Prosper, 19, used fake firearms certificate copied from real versions online to dupe a pensioner into selling him a shotgun. A day later, he launched a mission to become the most infamous killer in history by shooting dead his mother and siblings before setting out to commit a school massacre. Police caught him by chance. Ms Ambler said: 'I welcome the changes so far, but have they introduced anything really new? No.' Policing minister Diana Johnson said yesterday: 'Only those who meet the highest standards of safety and responsibility should be permitted to use firearms.' But Professor Peter Squires, of the Gun Control Network pressure group, said: 'The changes do not go far enough. Little of this would have stopped Prosper.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
SNP accused of 'betraying' victims of crime as they wait three years for justice
Exclusive by Michael Blackley Victims of crime are now having to wait nearly three years to get justice in the most serious cases, including murder and rape. Growing backlogs of cases in the High Court have resulted in a sharp rise in the time taken to proceed from offence to verdict. Scheduled High Court trials have soared amid rising pressure on the justice system, which has failed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Official figures reveal the median time from offence to verdict in the High Court has risen to 1,032 days, almost double the 520 days recorded in the year before the Covid pandemic. New data also shows scheduled High Court trials reached 743 in March and climbed to 818 by June - compared to 390 trials originally projected for the end of 2024/25 by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service when it carried out modelling in 2021. Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, said: 'These damning figures highlight that the SNP is miserably failing to clear the horrendous backlogs in Scotland's courts. 'Thanks to the Nationalists' chronic mismanagement of Scotland's courts, we are still miles away from hitting pre-pandemic backlog levels, despite what was predicted during the Covid period. 'SNP cuts to the justice budget and its failure to get funding to the front line are inevitably leading to mounting backlogs in the system - and that's a shameful betrayal of victims, because justice delayed is justice denied. 'Even victims of the most serious crimes are being betrayed by SNP ministers, as they now have to wait over 1,000 days on average for a verdict in High Court cases.' The figures, revealed by 1919 magazine, show that the median time from offence to verdict in the High Court was 1,032 days in 2023/24, compared to 520 days in 2019/20. In Sheriff Court cases, the median time from offence to verdict in 2023/24 was 564 days, compared to 283 days in 2019/20. Modelling from the SCTS published in March 2021 found that there was expected to be 390 trials scheduled in the High Court and 500 trials scheduled in Sheriff Solemn Courts by March 2025. But the new data shows there were actually 743 scheduled trials in the High Court and 1,004 in Sheriff Solemn Courts, which cover serious crimes like assault and drug offences, at this point. Summary cases, including common assault, domestic abuse, crimes of dishonesty and motoring offences, are also facing delays. Figures from March this year show more than 20,600 cases still waiting, nearly 50 per cent higher than predicted in 2021. The Scottish Police Federation has warned that delays and collapsed trials are wasting valuable resources and draining frontline capacity. An SCTS spokesman said: 'We remain conscious of the impact delays in the criminal justice system have on victims and witnesses. 'That is why our focus has been on striving to reduce the number of cases in the system and the length of time people wait for the outcome of a case. 'SCTS advised the criminal justice committee in December 2021 that we anticipated the backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic would be cleared by 2026. 'Since then, and through our strong criminal court recovery programme, the number of scheduled trials has reduced from over 43,000 in January 2022 to under 18,000 at the end of June 2025. That is the fewest number of planned scheduled trials since 2018/19. 'However we are now dealing with a substantial increase in High Court business - the most serious criminal cases - which places pressure on a system with finite capacity. 'High Court scheduled trials at the end of June 2025 number 818, far higher than the pre pandemic position of 390. This means maintaining increased capacity is essential to prevent delays for all who use the system.' A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Scotland is the only part of the UK to have successfully brought court backlog levels back down to below Covid levels - a testament to our comprehensive approach and substantial investment in recovery funding of over £201 million since 2021, which includes £20.3 million to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in 2025/26. 'This trend is continuing and we remain committed to supporting justice partners to maintain this progress.'
