Tehleigher Bunting: MP asks for death driver's sentence to be reviewed

An MP has written to the Attorney General asking for the prison sentence given to a driver who killed a 14-year-old girl to be increased.

Aaron Carter was speeding and under the influence of cannabis when he mounted a pavement and killed Tehleigher Bunting.

He was given a nine-year custodial sentence but was told he would serve less than half of this in prison.

MP Liz Kendall has asked for the case to be "urgently" referred to the Court of Appeal.

Tehleigher's mum and stepdad believe the sentence is "disgusting".

Her stepdad, Shane Patterson, previously emailed the Attorney General's Office asking for the sentence to be reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

Liz Kendall, the Labour MP for Leicester West, has now written directly to Attorney General Victoria Prentis.

She told the BBC: "Tehleigher's grieving family are understandably appalled that the man who killed their daughter will spend so little time behind bars.

"In light of last year's change in the dangerous driving law, I'm calling on the Attorney General to refer this tragic case to the Court of Appeal as a matter of urgency."

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 raised the maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving from 14 years' custody to life imprisonment.

The change applies to offences committed on or after 28 June 2022, when the act came into force, so it would apply to Tehleigher's case as she was killed on 26 October.

However, the sentencing guidelines for this offence have not yet been updated to reflect the new legislation.

In her letter, Ms Kendall asked that updated sentencing guidelines should be "agreed and published as soon as possible".

Tehleigher's mum and stepdad believe the judge who sentenced Carter should have followed the new legislation and considered giving him a life sentence.

They have received messages from relatives of other people killed by drivers, who are also unhappy with their sentences.

"We're not just doing this for us; it's for other people who find themselves in the same situation to get justice," said Mr Patterson.

"Other families have got in touch and said they have been traumatised with the sentences that the killers of their family members have got."

Cory Pearson, Tehleigher's cousin, has also set up a petition asking for Carter's sentence to be increased. It has been signed by more than 1,600 people.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said: "We have received a request for Aaron Carter's sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

"The Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision."

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