Judge blasts inadequate powers as boy racer who killed teenage girl escapes jail

Daniel Young, 21, had been travelling at up to double the speed limit, despite one of his passengers begging him to slow down, a court heard.

But he was charged only with careless driving, which does not carry the threat of a jail sentence.

District Judge David Cooper said: "Friends and family of the victim will say how inadequate the powers I have are and I can only agree. But I can only work within the limits of those powers."

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The judge then added: "Why young men are allowed to drive these highpowered vehicles beats me."

Last night campaigners said the case underlined the urgent need for restrictions on inexperienced drivers getting behind the wheel of high-speed cars at night and with young passengers.

The Daily Mail has campaigned for restrictions including raising the driving age to 18, a call supported by MPs last month.

Young's Subaru Impreza smashed into an oncoming car in December last year, fatally injuring Lauren Evans, 17, who was in the back seat.

Young was part of the boy racer scene in Colchester and had been driving round the town before picking up Lauren, a trainee hairdresser, and a friend to take them to a nightclub, the court heard. A witness at her inquest alleged that he smoked cannabis and was 'stoned' at the time.

His friend, James McKeown, told police they had been driving at up to 65mph in a 30mph zone, while Lauren's friend, Lauren Miles, said she had shouted at him to slow down.

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Moments later he smashed headon into a VW Passat and Lauren - the only one not wearing a seatbelt - was fatally injured.

Judge Cooper told Colchester Magistrates Court that reading victim impact statements from Lauren's family had been "utterly heartbreaking" and told Young that the effect on his life was nothing compared to the endless misery they endured.

But, because Young's driving was judged careless rather than dangerous by prosecutors, he could not be sent to prison. A charge of causing death by dangerous driving would have carried a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment.

A new offence of "causing death by careless driving" - carrying a possible five-year prison sentence - has yet to come into effect. Steven Levy, defending, said Young was no longer part of the boy-racer scene and was now a care worker.

He said Lauren's death had had a profound effect on him.

Young, of Marks Tey, near Colchester, admitted careless driving and was given a 12-month community order including 60 hours' unpaid work and an overnight curfew. He was also banned from driving for two years and will have to re-take his driving test.

After the case Lauren's mother Jeanette said: "Lauren has been let down by the justice system. It was clearly not careless driving - it was dangerous driving. She was beautiful, bright and happy. This has ruined so many lives."

Last night Dianne Ferreira, of road safety campaign group Brake, said the judge and Lauren's family were right to be angry.

"This was a girl in the prime of her life and the sentence is scandalously low considering the devastation this crime has caused," she said.

She added that the case demonstrated the need for 'graduated' restrictions on young drivers, for example preventing them owning high-performance cars, driving at night and carrying passengers - all factors in Lauren's death.