THE 'soft' prison sentence of a killer driver responsible for the deaths of two women and a child has been widely condemned, including by friends and family of the crash victims.
Joe-Lewis Tyler was jailed for 18 years at Worcester Crown Court on Monday after his dangerous driving caused the deaths of three people on the A44 in Spetchley Road near Worcester.
He must serve two thirds of the sentence before he is released on licence but, for many readers, the sentence was simply not long enough to reflect the loss of three lives, including that of a six-year-old boy.
The 34-year-old was behind the wheel of a 2004 BMW 3 series when he crashed into the white Ford Mondeo taxi, hitting the driver's side of the car as it emerged from a junction.
The crash killed Leo Painter, six, child escort Claire Adkins, 39, and driver, Courtney Hemming, 26 who all suffered multiple injuries on February 22. Both Tyler and his passenger, Miles Smith-Green, also suffered serious injuries.
The sentence imposed by Judge James Burbidge KC was widely condemned by friends, relatives and other members of the public on the Worcester News Facebook page.
Tyler must serve a minimum of two thirds of the sentence and was banned from driving for 17 years and must sit an extended driving retest if he is to get behind the wheel again.
Luke Bridger, who was the partner of Courtney Hemming, said at court he 'did not agree' with the sentence.
He wrote on the Worcester News Facebook page: "Sentence isn’t no deterrent to anyone. Pathetic sentence, police did a fantastic job getting the conviction, but the courts let the public down again."
Sam Banks wote: "Absolute joke, 18 years, pathetic, should have got life that poor little boy had his life cruelly taken away from this lowlife, this country's too soft, its disgusting."
RECOMMENDED READING: A44 Spetchley fatal crash driver Joe-Lewis Tyler jailed
Sam Jane Mackay posted: "The judge should be ashamed of himself handing him that sentence should have been 18 years for all three of them."
Julie Miller wrote: "Disgusting , he should of got three life sentences for what he did and never be allowed to drive again. It's the families that have the life sentence. Thinking of them all."
Tyler was driving at 90mph in a 50mph road when the crash happened after he drank five pints of lager and four shots at the West Midlands Tavern in Lowesmoor in Worcester.
Later blood tests placed Tyler's blood alcohol level at between 103 and 215 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (the legal limit being 80) with an average reading of 159.
He was also over the limit for cocaine with a reading of 55 microgrammes per litre of blood (above the limit of 10 microgrammes) and cannabis with a reading of 2.2 microgrammes for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (a cannabis metabolite), above the limit of 2 microgrammes.
The insurance for the BMW lapsed 90 minutes before the fatal crash so he was also uinsuure
In court Judge Burbidge explained he went 'significantly' outside the sentencing guidelines (a starting point of 12 years) to reflect the gravity of the incident which had resulted in three deaths.
There were, he said, a 'multiplicity of category A factors. In his sentencing remarks, he described the defendant's 'lax attitude' and 'cavalier attitude' and called his driving 'atrocious'.
The judge gave him a 20 per cent discount in the length of the sentence to reflect his guilty plea.
"You will have to live with the dire consequences of your actions for the rest of your life. It is said you are remorseful and I shall certainly take that into account," he said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel