THE heartbroken mum of a 14-year-old girl who was killed by a speeding car is urging others to help her ban dangerous drivers from ever driving again.
Courtney Ellis from Haydock was hit by a car speeding between 73 and 93mph on Blackbrook Road on the night of September 19, 2020.
The man convicted of the crime, Brandon Turton, 21, pleaded guilty in Liverpool Crown Court and was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison in September 2022.
Turton was also disqualified from driving for seven years and four months.
The driving disqualification started from the start of his sentence, meaning upon release in three years he will only have four years remaining on his driving ban.
'Plea for a lifetime ban'
Courtney’s heartbroken mum, Angela Burke, launched a petition calling for a law change in relation to the driving ban, asking for those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving to be given a lifetime driving ban.
She said: “If someone got jailed for using a gun, they would come out of jail and be watched forever to make sure they didn’t use one again. But a dangerous driver after a short time can get behind the wheel of a car, that was their weapon. It’s not fair.
“There’s a difference between dangerous driving and careless driving. Careless is a mistake. That can happen to anyone, but dangerous driving is driving at crazy speeds or under the influence.
“If you get in a car doing those things you might not mean to kill someone, but you mean to use it dangerously.
“My Courtney was in the wrong place at the wrong time, someone using a car dangerously killed her.
“Now people have argued that with me, but I know he probably didn’t go out planning to hit someone with his car, but he did go out using that car dangerously at ridiculous speeds and that decision he took to do that ended my daughter’s life.
Read - Mum launches petition calling for lifelong driving ban for dangerous motorists who kill
“So, the fact he or anyone who made decisions like that can serve time in jail then eventually use a car again frightens me and should frighten everyone.”
Angela, who is also mum to Morgan, Roman and Harper, has shared her family’s anguish after spending their third Christmas without Courtney.
She added: “I tried in the run up to put it out of my mind for my little kids who are only three and five and for her sister Morgan too, but Christmas Eve it was all there.
“I’m not the mum I used to be, I’m a grieving mum and a mum to three alive children. I can’t be one thing. I can’t forget about my child who should be here celebrating getting presents with the others and that pulls me away from the other kids and giving them what I used to give them.
“The first two Christmas’ were a blur; I have to do stuff now to try and make it through the day.
“Instead, I decorate her memorial tree and buy her a memorial ornament.
“Courtney would be 16 now. I wonder all the time what she’d like now, but I’ll never know that.
“I know it’s hard to think about. I was like that too before it happened to my daughter. You think it won’t happen to you or affect you.
“But since losing my Courtney I’ve heard about loads of stuff, the law isn’t tough enough.
“Violet-Grace’s family have done amazing getting the law changed so others can get the justice we didn’t get.
“I just want to make sure we can change the law to stop these dangerous drivers ever getting behind a wheel again. But I need help to make sure that the Government know the law needs changing.
“Without tougher consequences, most of these people thinking of driving dangerously won’t be put off doing it.”
What do you need to do to help Angela?
For the Government to respond to the petition, it needs 10,000 signatures.
The petition currently has just over 3,000 signatures.
- To sign it, and help Angela, go to petition.parliament.uk/petitions/623592
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