'I picture the children in your car who didn't survive - your cocky driving killed them'
A mum who was driving with her two young children when a "cocky" teen driver smashed into her head-on, killing his three young passengers, says she still has nightmares.
Speaking today after 19-year-old Edward Spencer was sentenced to two years' detention on three counts of causing death by careless driving and three counts of causing serious injury by careless driving, the driver of the car he hit said his actions since the crash have been "unforgivable".
Spencer lost control of his Ford Fiesta while on his way home from school just five weeks after passing his test. Harry Purcell, 17, Tilly Seccombe, 16 and Frank Wormald, 16, who were passengers in his car all died as a result of their injuries. In the other car, the mum and her two young children were seriously hurt and continue to receive treatment for their life-changing injuries.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, spoke directly to the killer driver. She said: "Edward, had you been sorry for your actions, had you said sorry, had you asked for forgiveness, you would have got it. You did not do this.
"You showed yourself to be cocky and indifferent, taking almost two years to take responsibility for your actions. You showed everyone that you do not care about the innocent lives you have taken. You do not care that you nearly killed two innocent children. You have not shown any remorse, any regret, any guilt. That is unforgivable."
She went on to speak about the effect the crash has had on her and her children, adding that they "are still suffering from the consequences of this crash".
She added: "I don't have the words to express how sorry I am that this has happened. If I could have done anything to stop this, I truly would. If I could go back and give my life to save theirs, to save the suffering my children felt, I would, without hesitation.
"Both my children and I are still suffering from the consequences of this crash; there have been countless hospital appointments, operations, therapies. Nothing can undo the trauma that we have all been through; there is still pain, nightmares, flashbacks.
"I wake in the night from nightmares, picturing the poor children in the other car who didn't survive. I have flashbacks to being in the car with my children, the intense fear I felt but had to hide for their sake. I see my own children dead in the back seats of my car.
"This collision has given me permanent scars, both physically and mentally. I should feel lucky for surviving, but I feel the furthest thing from lucky. The lucky ones are the people who go their whole lives without this trauma - this is not lucky; this is the thing of nightmares."
She added: "This crash, like so many others, was wholly preventable. Graduated driving licenses have been proven to reduce incidents of this kind. Every time I see another crash like this in the news, it breaks my heart, yet still nothing is done to prevent these young lives from being lost."
Today at Warwick Crown Court, Judge Andrew Lockhart KC was told social media videos discovered after the crash had exposed a history of Spencer 'showing off, driving too quickly and failing to heed the warnings of those who were in the car with him'.
It also emerged that Tilly had previously sent a Snapchat message to Spencer complaining about his driving but he had responded that she had 'underestimated' him.
Passing sentence, the judge told Spencer his previous and habitual poor driving meant that there was a 'terrible inevitability' about the 'catastrophic' crash between Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire and Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, in April 2023.
The judge said of the social media evidence, including video of Spencer passing a mobility scooter at more than 50mph: 'It is disturbing material and it seriously aggravates the position you find yourself in.
'This is material that is indisputable, largely captured on video. There is here clear and crystal clear evidence of previous poor driving.'
The crash was caused by a 'lethal combination' of grossly excessive speed and a failure to drive to the road conditions, the judge said.
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