The mother of a teenage girl who was killed instantly when she was hit by a racing driver saw the devastating crash scene and "felt sad" for those involved - before learning it was her own child lying in the road. Angela Burke told the driver who killed 14-year-old daughter Courtney Ellis it was a "parent's worst nightmare" finding out her child had died.
Courtney died instantly after being hit by a car driven by Brandon Turton around the streets of St Helens and Haydock in Merseyside shortly after 9.45pm on September 19, 2020. Turton had been racing in convoy with another vehicle at the time of the horror smash, which was witnessed by Courtney's older sister Morgan, now 18.
Before Turton was sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving at Liverpool Crown Court, Angela told how she remembered seeing the crash scene when she was returning home from work, but had no idea it was her daughter who was seriously injured. After she had passed the scene, she received a call saying Courtney had been run over and had the horrifying realisation that she was "not there when [Courtney] needed me most", the Liverpool Echo reports.
The court heard how Turton, 21, had been driving at speeds of up to 93mph in a 30mph zone when he struck Courtney in his Renault Megane and prosecutor Ben Jones said he had possibly been "showing off" or "driving in anger" after making unsuccessful attempts to woo a female passenger. His friends inside the car reportedly told him to slow down multiple times before the fatal crash.
He admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for six years and nine months. At Liverpool Crown Court, Angela Burke told the killer driver before he was sentenced for causing her death by dangerous driving: "The night that you killed my 14-year-old daughter was the most horrific experience I have ever had to go through. It was truly a parent's worst nightmare.
"Having to see your lifeless child's body broken is indescribable. I was on my way home from work when I approached the scene of the incident.
"It was clear that something serious had happened, with police everywhere. I recall feeling sad for the people involved. Little did I know my own child was lying in the road. I was not there when she needed me most.
"After passing the scene, I received a call saying Courtney had been run over. It was only at this point I realised that the scene I had passed was Courtney.
"When I arrived at hospital, they told me they were doing everything they could but she was in a bad way. I was mortified, but I still had hope. That was shattered when the doctors told me Courtney had died."
Angela said she "collapsed with shock" when she learned of the teenager's death, adding: "I was unable to take in the news I had just been told. I thought I was in a living nightmare and I pleaded with the doctors to tell me it wasn't true.
"To this day, I still refuse to accept it. The pain in my heart and stomach is unbearable, but I have to pull myself together in order to care for my other three children - if it wasn't for them, I truly believe I would not be here now."
Courtney's older sister Morgan, now 18, has been left "traumatised" by the incident she witnessed. She cried out "Courtney please don't die, please don't leave me" in the aftermath.
Angela added: "It must have been truly horrific for her to witness Courtney lying lifeless in the road. They were inseparable, and for Morgan to wake up each day and not have Courtney around is heart-breaking.
"We as a family are all lost. Courtney was so caring and sensitive. She loved cuddles. Now I will never be able to see my daughter get married or have children of her own."
Courtney also left behind a brother and sister, who are now aged only four and two. Angela said: "My younger children say goodnight to pictures of Courtney on my wall before they go to bed. They say 'love you' and blow kisses to her. I am devastated that they will never get to know their big sister.
"I will never be the same mum. Everything I do now is for my other children and to try to make Courtney proud."
She also described her daughter as a "beautiful person who loved to have a laugh, cried at sad films and had so much potential in life". Angela then told Turton: "One day you will get out of prison and be able to live your life. I will never forgive you and I will never forget what you did. You thought you were above the law."
Courtney's dad Colin Ellis also read a touching statement to the court. He said: "We had no time to say goodbye. She had a kind, caring nature. Courtney never got the chance to live out her dreams - she never even got the chance to finish school.
"How can I ever be the same when I had to see my girl lying lifeless in a hospital bed, when the last time I saw her she was full of life? That night changed every single member of my family forever.
"Every part of my life was shattered. Every single day is painful. I have no choice but to carry on and live with the pain of losing her in such a horrible way. We can never bring her back, but we have to see justice served on the person who took away her dreams, her life and who took her away from a family who loved her so much."
The schoolgirl, from Haydock, died instantly after being hit by the Renault Megane on Blackbrook Road in St Helens shortly after 9.45pm on September 19, 2020. Ben Jones, prosecuting, described how Turton - of Borron Road in Newton-le-Willows - had been "showing off or driving in anger", having made unsuccessful attempts to woo a female passenger.
He had been driving around the area "just for something to do" and met up with a silver Vauxhall Astra being driven by Oliver McIntosh in the car park of Tesco in Haydock. In the 15 minutes before the incident, the two cars "set off in convoy" and completed a high speed circuit of nearby roads while "competing with each other".
Both motorists overtook a bus, Mr McIntosh narrowly avoiding smashing into oncoming traffic and Turton driving the wrong way over a traffic island in order to do so. The latter undertook his fellow driver at one point and nearly caused him to crash, leading to Mr McIntosh's passenger texting him to warn him about his behaviour.
The pair returned to the supermarket before setting off again six minutes later. Turton's friends inside the black vehicle "repeatedly told him to slow down", one of them later describing his driving as "awful".
Another stated that they were being "thrown around the car" as he took corners and roundabouts at speed and overtook other vehicles. He also told the defendant to "slow the f*** down" and said he would get out otherwise.
This witness described how he had been flirting with a woman in the Renault whom Turton had also been interested in romantically - however, she had not reciprocated these feelings and it was "apparent he was angered or jealous". Mr McIntosh too said that he had been "driving like an idiot".
Courtney meanwhile had spent the afternoon in a nearby park with her now 18-year-old sister Morgan and a friend. While the teenager had been drinking, she was described as "just being silly" or "giddy".
The aspiring midwife had "had a falling out with a boy and was upset", and the group sat talking near to the Ship Inn pub for around quarter of an hour before Morgan suggested they head home. As they did so, Courtney ran across the road and was hit by the car and "thrown through the air" before landing in the carriageway.
Turton "swerved at the last second" but was travelling at speeds of at least 73mph, and possibly up to 93mph, on the 30mph road. One of his passengers thought the vehicle was going to flip over as it hurtled onwards towards a dog walker before coming to a stop.
Courtney was described as having "little chance to assess her own safety in crossing". The friend who was present said they "did not see or hear the approach of the defendant's vehicle" beforehand.
Turton admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for six years and nine months this afternoon. Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "You could not successfully react to Courtney as she stepped into the road.
"You were simply going far too fast to avoid impact. Your dangerous driving cut short the life of a much-loved daughter, granddaughter and sister.
"Courtney was a loving child with enormous compassion and promise, who leaves behind a shattered and traumatised family. No-one who has not suffered the sudden loss of a child in circumstances such as these is ever in a position to understand how they feel.
"No sentence I can impose on you will reconcile the family of the deceased victim to their loss, nor will it cure their anguish. Your driving at grossly excessive speeds involved a deliberate decision to ignore, or a flagrant disregard for, the rules of the road and a disregard for the safety of others."
