A distraught mum whose teenage daughter died in a car crash in Northumberland has slammed the sentence handed down to the driver.
Uninsured Rhys McLennan, who also only held a provisional licence, was behind the wheel of a Nissan Pixo when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a tree on a road near Alnwick. His front seat passenger and girlfriend, Chelsea Gillie, 17, from Berwick, was seriously injured in the crash and tragically passed away three days later in hospital.
Last week, McLennan, 20, of Cheviot Lodge, in Longframlington, was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Newcastle Crown Court after he pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving, causing death by driving while unlicensed, and causing death by driving while uninsured. He must also do 150 hours unpaid work, abide by a four-month electronic curfew and was banned from driving for two years.
Read More: Northumberland driver caused death of teenage girlfriend after losing control and crashing into tree
But the outcome of the case has "horrified" Chelsea's devastated mum Mandy, who believes she is the one left dealing with a life sentence while McLennan has walked free. The 52-year-old said she was shocked and saddened by the judge's decision not to send McLennan to jail.
Mandy continued: "People get sent to prison for a lot less, stealing from a shop, for example. We're horrified with the sentence, we're still in shock. I think he should have been jailed but he got to walk free and carry on with his life.
"No sentence can bring her back but he's not been given a proper punishment. He's always been a free man throughout the court process and beyond and I feel we are the ones that have been given a life sentence."
Chelsea was the youngest of three siblings and brought up in Berwick, attending Berwick Academy. Tragedy also hit the family in 2013 when her older brother passed away but she remained close to her mum and sister Jemma.
Mandy said: "She was a handful at times as a child but she did really well. She was outgoing and had lots of friends. She was so spoiled by everyone because she was the youngest and would get her own way all of the time but she was very, very popular, kind and caring. Nothing fazed her."
After finishing school, Chelsea attended Northumberland College, in Ashington, where she studied childcare. However, she was waiting until she turned 18 when she hoped to start studying for her dream job of a forensic photographer.
Mandy added: "Chelsea really wanted to be a forensic photographer and she had just been in contact with the police before she died to find out how she could go about it. It's not a job I could do but she was adamant and really excited about starting. She was definitely unique."
However, before Chelsea could embark on her dream career, Mandy's world came crashing down when the teen was killed after her boyfriend, McLennan, crashed the car they were travelling in on the B6341, near Edlingham, close to Alnwick, on October 26 2020. Chelsea sustained serious injuries and passed away three days later in Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.
McLennan only had a provisional licence at the time and had taken the keys to his car without his mother’s permission so the pair could drive to Morrisons in Alnwick to buy juice.
Mandy said: "My world fell apart, I just couldn't believe it. I have had to move out of the home we shared as it was mine and Chelsea's home - her sister is older and has her own flat. I just couldn't handle seeing her bedroom every day. It was just breaking my world thinking she was going to come out of her bedroom but she never did.
"We're a close family but there's only Jemma left and my mum. It's just me and Jemma. We talk about Chelsea a lot, we keep her memory alive. We celebrate her anniversary and her birthday and her brother's. Christmas is really hard. We're not doing Christmas this year, it's just not the same.
"Chelsea was kind, caring, fun-loving, outgoing and loved life and lived it to the full. She had a lot of friends and was always the one that would pick them up if they were down. She was a young carer for me too. She had an adult head on her shoulders and was very, very grown-up. We will never get over what's happened."
During McLennan's sentencing hearing last week, Tony Cornberg, defending, said McLennan is autistic, had no previous convictions and had suffered a breakdown since the accident. He added: "He is tormented and no doubt will be for a very long time to come. He has nightmares every night, it's the last thing he thinks about at night and the first thing in the morning.
"He remembers coming round, being dazed and looking over to Chelsea. He relives that moment all the time, screaming at her to stay with him."
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