Families' trauma over car cruise deaths trial delay

The families of two teenagers killed by a dangerous driver at a car cruising meet say waiting two years for a trial, which was avoided at the last minute, has left them distraught.

Liberty Charris, 16, and Ben Corfield, 19, both from Dudley, died after a car hit several pedestrians gathered on the A457 Oldbury Road in Oldbury, West Midlands, on 20 November 2022.

Dhiya Al Maamoury, 56, was expected to face a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday.

However, he changed his plea to guilty on the day the trial was due to start.

Councillor Damian Corfield, Ben's father, said the last-minute change of plea had "played with people's emotions" and traumatised the victims' parents.

Al Maamoury had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in March, which Ben's parents said left them gobsmacked.

"To push us along nearly six months, we've been distraught, we didn't know how it was going to go," Mr Corfield said.

"You've killed two young people and you've seriously injured two others. There's no other vehicles involved, it's down to your driving and your decisions that's made this happen. How could you plead not guilty?"

Liberty's mother Tracy Challis said: "Part of your grief is hate and there's a hate for everything.

"Over that length of time, you build up more hate and that hate is overwhelming.

"Nothing's ever going to bring Liberty back and that's the hardest thing."

Ben Corfield had been a member of youth parliament for Dudley and was due to stand for election in his family's ward, taking after his father.

He was also going to start HGV driver training and would have been the fourth generation of his family in the heavy road transport industry.

His mother Lynette Corfield told the BBC: "He was fun loving, caring, a gentle giant really.

"He'd help anybody who needed any help."

Mr Corfield said: "He was a shining light in our lives but not only that, he was a shining light in everybody's life he came across."

Ben had been a counsellor for other young people, having experienced bullying himself.

His father said that after Ben's death, three people visited them, each of whom had been counselled by Ben.

"They said we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Ben - and that was a part of our son really we didn't know," Mr Corfield said.

Liberty had wanted to be a radio presenter since the age of four and had started working with her mother on her show at Black Country Radio.

She also played rugby and was studying TV, radio, and media at Wolverhampton College.

"Liberty was absolutely amazing, and I'm not just saying it because I'm her mom," Ms Challis said.

"She was very talented. She was a girl that just wanted to help people. I never saw her without a smile on her face."

Speaking on the impact of her daughter's loss, Ms Challis said: "I personally feel like I've died. My life is nothing to what it was.

"I honestly don't want to do anything without her. Obviously I've got my two boys who I love dearly, but Lib was my mini-me.

"She wanted to do everything in the same way I did things, she wanted to come everywhere with me.

"I go to bed every night wishing that I haven't got to wake up in the morning."

Lynette and Damian Corfield said they were now serving a life sentence in the wake of their son's death.

Speaking of Al Maamoury, Mrs Corfield said: "He's taken so much. He's taken my son, my best friend.

"It takes so much energy to even leave the house now."

Mr Corfield told the BBC 56-year-old Al Maamoury "should have known better" and would "fully understand the consequences of people driving in that way".

"This is somebody in their 50s that decided to go out in a high-powered car to drive dangerously in an area where there's pedestrians around and take lives," he said.

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