Mum of woman killed in crash calls for law change

A mother has called for changes in the law after her daughter was killed in a drink-driving crash where she was a passenger.

Lillie Clack, 22, of Morden, south-west London, was injured in the crash in the early hours of Christmas Day 2021 and died three days after.

She was among six people in a Mercedes that hit a tree following a police chase, flipped over and burst into flames in Carshalton. The driver, Charlie Hilton, was jailed in 2023 for causing Lillie's death by dangerous driving and driving above the alcohol limit.

Following a coroner's ruling of unlawful killing, Debbie Clack is urging lifetime driving bans for motorists involved in fatal crashes while under the influence.

Sebastian Naughton, assistant coroner for London South, said the evidence showed Hilton's actions could be considered as gross negligence as he fled police reaching speeds of more than 100mph (161km/h), carried out an illegal U-turn and ran a red a light as passengers inside the car begged him to stop.

Speaking after the inquest at South London Coroner's Court, Lillie's mother said: "Lillie went through a horrific ordeal and we are continuing to live through this every day."

She added: "Hilton killed my daughter. He pleaded guilty to causing her death by dangerous driving while more than twice the legal alcohol limit, running from the police, refusing to stop, losing control of his car, and crashing into a tree."

She is calling for lifetime driving bans for anyone convicted of causing death by dangerous driving while under the influence and for tougher penalties for dangerous drivers.

Ms Clack said the crash had caused a bleed on Lillie's brain and she died on 28 December.

"She was just 22. My baby girl," she said. "If going through today's pain means something changes, if it shines a light on what went wrong and stops even one other family from feeling this kind of grief, then it was worth it.

"It cannot be right that any driver involved in a fatal crash gets to go home still carrying their licence in their pocket. It is also the case that too often those convicted of injuring people by their dangerous driving can one day return to the road.

"What happened to Lillie, her family, friends and the whole community, has to mean something. We all need to believe that lessons will be learned."

The friends had been enjoying a Winter Wonderland attraction and visited a pub in Morden before accepting a lift home from Hilton.

The car crashed in Beeches Avenue, Carshalton.

In February 2023, Hilton was jailed at the Old Bailey for 10 years and six months after pleading guilty to causing Lillie's death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury, failing to stop when directed and driving above the alcohol limit.

The coroner suggested Hilton "possibly knew he was in trouble due to the number of people in his vehicle", that the U-turn was "practically inviting the police to pursue" and he would have known he was over the alcohol limit to drive.

He "made no effort to ascertain" if his passengers were wearing their seatbelts.

In his findings the coroner said: "Despite repeated requests from passengers throughout the pursuit to slow down or stop, the driver of the Mercedes would not stop or slow down after the police were no longer in pursuit of the Mercedes."

The Mercedes was travelling at about 70mph - in a 30mph speed zone - just seconds before the car went over a raised pedestrian crossing.

"The driver of the Mercedes lost control of the vehicle, was weaving before striking kerbs on both sides of the road and leaving the carriageway, striking a tree and the Mercedes," Mr Naughton said.

"Lillie sustained serious chest and head injuries in the collision. Due to the severity of her injuries, there was no possible surgical intervention. Lillie deteriorated and died on 28 December 2021.

"It is not possible to say if her injuries could have been mitigated if her seatbelt had been fastened."

Complications of a head injury was given as the cause of death in a post-mortem examination.

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