Sharlotte Naglis death: No-consent blood test law earns council backing

Calls by the mother of a girl killed by a drink and drug driver to change the law over testing blood without consent to speed up police investigations has been backed by her local council.

Sharlotte Naglis, six, died when John Owen's car mounted the pavement in Stoke-on-Trent in June 2021.

Claire Reynolds had to wait 11 weeks before Owen's blood was tested as he was in a coma.

She said she wanted to put a stop to long waits for victims' families.

"To be told that this blood is not going to be tested until he wakes up, and the thought of living in that unknown, it was crippling," Ms Reynolds said.

Once Owen's blood was tested, it was found that he had twice the legal limit of cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of the crash.

Owen, 46, of The Square, Oakamoor, later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for more than six years in October 2022.

Ms Reynolds, who wants to introduce "Sharlotte's Law", which will allow blood samples to be tested without consent, has now won the backing of Stoke-on-Trent City Council and road safety charity Brake.

Johnathan Gullis, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, who has supported Ms Reynolds throughout her campaign, said: "I attended Stoke-on-Trent City Council's full council [on Thursday] to watch Sharlotte's Law receive unanimous support, for which Sharlotte's mother Claire and I are so grateful," he said.

"With this law change, we are aiming to remove the legal loophole surrounding consent being required to test a suspect's blood for drugs and alcohol in the tragic event of a death from a collision with a motor vehicle.

"The law at present caused delays to the investigation moving forwards, creating torment for Sharlotte's family. No grieving family should ever have to go through this - which is what Sharlotte's Law will ensure," Mr Gullis added.

Ms Reynold's father, Chris, said: "If it saves one person it's worth it and then I think she'll start to grieve, because until then it's not over, is it?"

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said it was now going to write to the government seeking to introduce Sharlotte's Law.

The road where Sharlotte died will now have traffic calming measures put in place.

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