Teen who killed three friends in a crash on way home from school detained for two years
A newly qualified motorist with a ‘history of bad driving’ has been sentenced to youth detention.
Matilda Seccombe, 16, Harry Purcell, 17, and fellow sixth-former Frank Wormald, 16, all died when a car driven by Edward Spencer, then 17, crashed in Warwickshire.
Three other friends in the car were seriously hurt.
Two children, then 10 and 12, who were travelling in the other vehicle with their stepmum, were left with life-changing injuries that they receive treatment for to this day.
Matilda, known as Tilly, had told a friend she worried about Edward’s driving just hours before the collision on their way back from school, her dad James revealed previously.
‘Habitual’ poor driving
The newly qualified motorist, who had received his driving license six weeks before, was filmed passing a mobility scooter at more than 50mph.
Judge Andrew Lockhart KC described the footage as ‘disturbing material and it seriously aggravates the position you find yourself in,’ adding that videos show ‘crystal clear evidence of previous poor driving.’
Families of the killed teens and those injured accused Edward of a lack of remorse after he was seen smirking during a previous hearing.
He was sentenced to two years’ detention at a youth facility at Warwick Crown Court today and he was banned from driving for eight years. Before he attempts to drive again, Edward will need to take an extended re-test.
He received a youth detention sentence because he was under 18 at the time of the crash.
Edward changed his plea to guilty in March after he had previously denied causing the deaths by dangerous driving.
Tilly’s mum, Juliet, told Sky News how she arrived at the scene of the crash with ‘complete panic’ as she saw police ‘shouting down the road’ and an air ambulance.
‘It’s devastating. Absolutely devastating. The birthdays, anniversaries, everything, you know, just being a mother…you feel lost..when you’ve lost one of your children,’ she said.
How the ‘catastrophic’ crash happened
Judge Andrew Lockhart KC said at the sentencing that his previous and ‘habitual’ poor driving meant that the was a ‘terrible inevitability’ about the ‘catastrophic’ collision.
His bad driving – found on social media posts and videos – included showing off.
The collision happened after the teenagers were travelling home from school in Stretton-on-Fosse in April 2023.
Edward, of Armscote Road, Newbold on Stour, had passed his driving test five weeks before the crash.
He lost control of his Ford Fiesta, smashing into a Fiat on the opposite lane on the B4035.
Tilly, Harry and Frank died after their injuries.
Two children, aged 10 and 12, travelling in the Fiat suffered life-changing injuries.
The court heard previously that Edward does not remember the crash.
Detective Sergeant Stephen Barr, who led the investigation, said: ‘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.
Parents call for 'graduated' driving licenses
Tilly’s parents, James and Juliet, have joined a campaign calling for ‘graduated’ licenses for new drivers after the death of their daughter.
James told MailOnline earlier that they regret letting her go in his car.
He said: ‘I did say to (Spencer) face to face here in our living room to be careful when driving with people in the car and he promised me he would be. Clearly, he didn’t.’
He said that another friend told the police after the incident that Tilly was ‘worried about Ed’s driving and that messages from her phone showed there was allegedly another driving incident ‘that she was clearly cross about’ and got a ‘belligerent response’ from Edward.
Young UK drivers aged between 17-24 are involved in almost one quarter (24%) of deadly or serious injury crashes, research shows.
In 2023, 4,959 people died or were seriously hurt in collisions involving at least one young driver, according to charity Road Peace, which is campaigning for graduated driving licensing to ‘save lives.’
Despite the statistics and campaigning by groups like the RAC, plans for a graduated driver licensing (GDL) scheme were dropped by the government in October 2020. The RAC said it hopes the scheme will be included in the government’s future Road Safety Strategy.
US, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand use a graduated licensing scheme.
It means newly qualified drivers would be under extra restrictions for a period of time.
‘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.’
The Chipping Campden School community, where the teens were Year 12 pupils, was ‘profoundly’ shocked by the deaths, principal John Sanderson said after the crash.
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