The mother of a girl killed in a car crash says the government’s lack of action on reducing the number of young fatalities is “not good enough anymore” – as the teenager responsible for her death was detained for two years.
Edward Spencer, 19, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court for causing the deaths by careless driving of three fellow students while driving home from school in April 2023.
Spencer, who was 17 at the time of the crash, lost control of his Ford Fiesta near Shipston-on-Stour just six weeks after passing his test.
His passengers, Matilda “Tilly” Seccombe, 16, Frank Wormald, 16, and Harry Purcell, 17, all died.
The teenager was travelling at around 64mph when he hit an oncoming Fiat 500 – two children aged 10 and 12 and their stepmother inside suffered “life-changing” injuries.
Police say his speed was too fast for the road and the conditions, with the court also hearing he had a “history of bad driving” including showing off, evidenced by social media posts and videos.
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Tilly’s mother Juliet Seccombe recalled the moment she raced to the scene of the crash.
“Immediately when I got to a junction the police were shouting down the road, I saw an air ambulance, that complete panic… you freeze… everything shuts down,” she said.
“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 criticised the government for not implementing Graduated Driving Licences (GDLs) to help reduce the number of crashes involving new drivers.
“If graduated driving licences were in place this would have saved Tilly’s life,” she said.
‘Do something about it’
GDLs would see certain restrictions imposed on learner drivers – such as a ban on night time driving and passenger numbers – in the first few months.
They are already used in countries such as Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
In Canada, deaths among 16-year-old drivers have fallen by more than 80% following the introduction of GDLs.
“No action and procrastination is not good enough anymore,” said Ms Seccombe.
“It’s no good just accepting there’s a problem – do something about it. Doing nothing is going to cause some other family the pain and anguish we are going through.”
In 2023 around a fifth of people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain in car collisions involved a young driver – and the UK government says young male drivers are four times more likely to be killed or injured compared with other motorists.
Despite growing evidence of their success, the government is continuing to refuse to consider them as part of its new road safety strategy.
Previously it has said it is looking at options that do not “penalise” young drivers – a comment that has angered grieving families.
“We’re penalised because our son’s been killed,” said Toni Purcell, Harry’s mother.
“It’s a double-edged sword isn’t it. Our son is no longer here because somebody was driving without due care and attention.
“If the government is saying it penalises young drivers, what about the families who’ve been penalised by the loss of their children?”
The stepmother driving the car Spencer hit – who cannot be named for legal reasons – recalled to Sky News the moment the crash happened.
“I was on a straight strip of road, and I saw a silver Ford Fiesta coming towards me round the corner and I could tell the driver had lost control.
“I knew it was going to hit my car… and the only thing I could do is to tell my children to close their eyes because I knew they were going to die.”
Both children required major surgery and continue to receive treatment for their injuries.
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She is also calling on the government to reconsider its position on GDLs.
“Young people have a disproportionate number of accidents; they cause a disproportionate number of accidents,” she said.
“I think that needs to change. There needs to be systemic change otherwise it’s going to stay the same – we’re going to keep hearing about it on the news.”
‘She was a beautiful girl’
Mrs Seccombe said she wanted Tilly to be remembered for her beautiful smile.
“She was a beautiful girl, and she was bright, she had everything to go for in life. Just a bright, happy, funny, spark. She was blossoming into a beautiful young lady,” she said.
Harry’s mother said Harry’s death has left a “massive hole” in their family.
“He’d grown into such a beautiful, funny, loving, kind young man… he had such a kind heart and he always had a positive word to say…he was a beautiful character, beautiful personality,” she said.
Both mothers believe Spencer has showed no remorse since the crash.
“It’s made Tilly’s life worthless in his eyes as far as I’m concerned – and that’s extremely painful to accept,” said Ms Seccombe.
“I’m just really saddened that he hasn’t reflected on his actions, and he hasn’t learnt to atone.”
Spencer changed his plea to guilty in March, nearly two years after the crash.
As well as two years’ detention, he was also banned from driving for eight years and ordered to take an extended re-test.
Judge Andrew Lockhart KC highlighted a social media video of Spencer passing a mobility scooter at more than 50mph in the weeks prior to the crash.
The judge said it was “crystal clear evidence of previous poor driving”, adding: “It is disturbing material and it seriously aggravates the position you find yourself in.”
The judge said the crash was caused by a “lethal combination” of grossly excessive speed and a failure to drive to the road conditions.
Detective Sergeant Stephen Barr, the officer in charge of the investigation, said it was a “truly tragic” collision.
“Our thoughts remain with all those involved and affected by what happened,” he said.
“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.”
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A Department for Transport spokesperson told Sky News: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way.
“Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads.
“We are determined to tackle this, including through our THINK! campaign, which has a focus on men aged 17-24 as they are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than other drivers.”
