Latest news with #WarwickCrownCourt
BBC News
22-05-2025
- BBC News
Coventry man who stabbed neighbour in the head jailed
A man has been jailed for 16 years after stabbing a neighbour in the Sulemani, 20, attacked a man at an address in Lower Holyhead Road, Coventry, just before 05:50 BST on 20 February last man sustained significant head and facial injuries after the 20-year-old left the knife embedded and fled the scene, West Midlands Police was found guilty of attempted murder following a trial and was jailed at Warwick Crown Court on Friday. The force added that the 20-year-old, of Lower Holyhead Road, had handed himself into the police a short time after he fled the Carly Philp said it was a "horrific attack" and there was "no justification for such extreme violence". Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- BBC News
Nuneaton man, 25, jailed for abusing teenage girl
A man who repeatedly sexually abused an underage girl has been Beck, 25, from Nuneaton, was charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, which he pleaded guilty to on 20 was sentenced to four years in prison at Warwick Crown Court on 2 was also handed a 25-year sexual harm prevention order, and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. Warwickshire Police said it pursued an "evidence-led prosecution" against Beck, as the victim felt unable to fully co-operate with enquiries. It added this was common when someone had been groomed."Beck groomed his victim relentlessly and, as with most predators, he would have hoped that his manipulation would prevent him from ever being held to account," said Det Sgt Lydster."It was clear to us that Beck is a danger to young girls and we took the decision to pursue a victimless prosecution."We will continue to do everything in our power to protect Warwickshire's children from predators like Beck." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Teen driver's chilling warning on Snapchat before 'showing off' ended with three pals dead
Edward Spencer has been sentenced to two years' detention after a crash killed his friends Harry Purcell, 17, Tilly Seccombe, 16 and Frank Wormald, 16. The court heard how the teen had a history of 'showing off' behind the wheel What should have been an ordinary drive home for a group of teenage friends descended into tragedy following a horror crash. Harry Purcell, 17, Tilly Seccombe, 16, and Frank Wormald, 16, all lost their lives after the newly-qualified Edward Spencer lost control of his Ford Fiesta between Chipping Campden and Shipston-on-Stour in April 2023. A woman and two young children, who'd been travelling in another car, were also seriously injured and continue to receive treatment for their life-changing injuries. Warwick Crown Court on Monday convicted Spencer of three counts of causing death by careless driving and three counts of causing serious injury by careless driving. The 19-year-old, who changed his pleas to guilty in March, having previously denied wrongdoing, was sentenced to two years' detention. CCTV showed Spencer driving significantly in excess of the speed limit as he passed a pub three miles from the crash scene, the court heard. It was determined that the crash had been caused by a "lethal combination" of grossly excessive speed and a failure to drive according to the road conditions. The court heard how Spencer, who had passed his driving test just five weeks before the deaths of his three friends, had a history of "showing off, driving too quickly and failing to heed the warnings of those who were in the car with him". This was evidenced by social media videos unearthed after the incident. Tragically, Tilly herself had previously complained about Spencer's driving in a Snapchat message, which he'd responded to, saying: "Don't underestimate me". Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Lockhart KC told Spencer how his previous, habitual poor driving meant there was a "terrible inevitability" about the "catastrophic" crash. Pointing to social media evidence, including footage of Spencer speeding past a mobility scooter at more than 50mph, the judge said: "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." Other social media evidence included a conversation about Spencer hitting a pothole while driving. A nine-second video also showed Spencer driving with just one hand with 'music blaring'. In another 19-second clip, Spencer, with a female passenger, says: "When I reverse really fast, it is going to crash and fly down, fasten your seatbelt." She held up her hands to catch the phone, and he said, 'It doesn't go fast on gravel.'" In another clip with four passengers, Spencer says: "'you can drive nicely when you pass, then you can drive like a d*******'." Spencer was criticised by relatives of the injured children and two of those killed for showing an apparent lack of remorse after he was seen smirking during a previous hearing. During sentencing on Monday, Spencer, who has been banned from driving for eight years, appeared to show no obvious emotion as his sentence was handed down. Commenting on the case, Detective Sergeant Stephen Barr, the officer in charge of the investigation, stated: "This was a truly tragic collision, and our thoughts remain with all those involved and affected by what happened. "Edward Spencer was an inexperienced driver who made decisions on that day that changed many lives forever. He and all the families affected will have to live with the consequences of what he did for the rest of their lives. "As this tragic case shows, the consequences of careless driving can be devastating. Any death is difficult to come to terms with, but for three young lives to be lost who each had so much to look forward to is extremely challenging. "We know this conviction will not bring comfort to the loved ones of the three teenagers who lost their lives as well as those who were seriously injured, but we welcome the judge's decision in this matter." Warwickshire Police stated that this case demonstrated the "devastating consequences" that can occur due to reckless driving. Speaking after Spencer's guilty plea, Inspector Michael Huntley of the Warwickshire Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit, warned other young people and their parents to be aware of the limitations of being a newly-qualified driver. He continued: "Drivers need to be aware of the devastating consequences that can occur if a car is driven carelessly. Edward Spencer had only passed his test five weeks prior to the collision, and his careless actions cost the lives of three young people travelling in his car. Driving requires judgment and care, even more so when you lack experience. "As this tragic case shows, the consequences of careless driving can be devastating. So many lives have been ruined by this terrible incident. "I can't begin to imagine the pain this has caused, and our thoughts remain with the individuals and families affected. Edward Spencer will live with the consequences of his careless actions for the rest of his life, as will the families of all those involved." Harry, Tilly, and Frank were all sixth-form students at Gloucestershire's Chipping Campden School. The school paid tribute to the three teenagers shortly after they lost their lives.
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Grieving mothers call for change to driving licences after show-off killed three of his teen friends
Grieving mothers yesterday called for graduated driving licences to be brought in after the newly qualified driver who killed their children in a horror crash was sentenced. Edward Spencer, 19, lost control of his Ford Fiesta after hitting a verge at 64mph as he drove Matilda Seccombe, 16, Harry Purcell, 17, and Frank Wormald, 16, home from school. Spencer, who had had his driving licence for just six weeks, already had a history of 'showing off' at the wheel before the crash, a court heard. The car crossed the carriageway on a rural B-road and hit an oncoming Fiat, leaving the driver and her two stepchildren with serious, enduring injuries. Prosecutor Timothy Harrington said Spencer, a farmer's son, had 'a history of bad driving, of showing off, taking risks, driving too quickly and failing to heed' passengers' warnings. Juliet Seccombe, mother of Matilda, who was known as Tilly, said the family initially thought the collision had been a 'terrible accident'. She said: 'We have since learned that Tilly had messaged him [Spencer] to challenge him about his dangerous driving, to which his reply was: "You underestimate me."' Mr Harrington said evidence from social media – including one clip found on Harry's account – showed that Spencer was a 'habitually bad driver'. The prosecutor said in one clip Spencer bragged about reversing so fast that he was 'going to crash', while another showed Spencer with four passengers in the car, including Harry in the middle rear seat. One passenger is heard saying: 'You can drive nicely when you pass and then you drive like a d*******.' Ahead of Spencer's sentencing yesterday, the Fiat driver joined two of the bereaved mothers in calling for the introduction of black box monitors or graduated driving licences (GDLs) – which could include a ban on new drivers carrying younger passengers or a late-night driving curfew for the first few months on the road. Judge Andrew Lockhart KC appeared to back the calls, remarking during sentencing that the 'horrific facts of this case might have been avoided' if qualified drivers were 'prohibited from carrying passengers for a period of time after passing their driving test'. Ordering the trainee joiner to be detained at a young offender institution for two years, Judge Lockhart Spencer said it was 'an act of pure folly' to drive even close to the road's 60mph speed limit. He was given an eight-year driving ban and will be required to take an extended driving test. The Fiat driver, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children, survived the crash on the B4035 between Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, and Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. She said she was knocked unconscious and came around to find the children screaming in the back seat. Warwick Crown Court heard the young boy in the Fiat dragged his sister from the wreckage, not knowing if she was alive or dead. The stepmother and Mrs Seccombe said that, had Spencer shown remorse and apologised, they would have forgiven him. David Wormald, Frank's (pictured) father, said that each morning his family wake with the 'sickening realisation that Frank is dead' Spencer, from Newbold on Stour, Warwickshire, admitted three counts of causing death by careless driving and three counts of causing serious injury by careless driving. He and the three dead were sixth-form pupils at Chipping Campden School. All three suffered traumatic head injuries. The parents of the dead read out statements in court in which they described being left 'broken' and 'utterly devastated'. David Wormald, Frank's father, said that each morning his family wake with the 'sickening realisation that Frank is dead'. He said his youngest son's 'purpose' was to make his family laugh, and they were now left in 'despair' at Frank's death. Toni Purcell, 53, whose son Harry was a twin, sobbed at the memory of being told by the doctors that 'they had done what they could but that Harry was not going to survive'. According to the Department for Transport, in 2023 around a fifth of all killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties from collisions involving cars were in ones that involved a young car driver, defined as someone between the ages of 17 to 24. Mrs Seccombe, from Preston on Stour, Warwickshire, said GDLs would allow young drivers to 'gain experience without that peer pressure of having friends in the car'. Mrs Purcell also endorsed calls for GDLs. Spencer's lawyer read out his letter to the court, saying: 'There are no words strong enough to express how sorry I am. Every day I live with the pain of knowing how many lives have been impacted.'
