MPs call for tougher dangerous driving sentences

Liz McInnes, Member of Parliament for Heywood and Middleton, has written to the Justice Secretary to demand tougher sentences for those who cause death by dangerous driving. The letter is co-signed by more than 70 MPs including Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd.

In October last year the government announced it intended to introduce tougher sentences for those who cause death by dangerous driving, but eight months later no legislation has yet been brought forward.

Ms McInnes has long supported the Justice for Joseph campaign set up in memory of her constituent Joseph Brown-Lartey who was killed in Rochdale in 2014 by a driver speeding at 80mph in a 30mph zone. His killer was sentenced to just six years in prison.

Alongside Joseph’s family, the road safety charity Brake, MPs from all parties, and many other families affected by tragedies such as this, Ms McInnes has been campaigning for tougher sentences to be introduced which better reflect the severity and impact of the crime.

Ms McInnes said: “The government consultation into this ended in February 2017. It then took them until October 2017 to announce their conclusions. All those who have campaigned for tougher sentences were incredibly relieved to hear last October that the government intended to toughen the sentences however we are disappointed that eight months later we are still waiting for changes to be introduced.

"Since October, I and many others have contacted ministers to ask for updates, only to be told each time that the legislation will be introduced ‘when parliamentary time allows’. This simply isn’t good enough. As we wait, more and more families are being forced to suffer not only a lifetime of grief at the loss of their loved ones, but the double injustice of seeing their killers receive prison sentences of only a few years.

"The tragic killing of Corey and Casper Platt-May in February this year underlines this fact. If the law had been changed more quickly, their killer would be serving a sentence which better reflects their horrendous crime.

"We call on the Justice Secretary and the government to introduce legislation now so that no more families need to suffer this injustice.”

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The full text of the letter is as follows:

Dear David,

In April, the killer of six and two-year-old Corey and Casper Platt-May was sentenced to just nine years in prison. Corey and Casper were on their way to the park with their family when they were killed by Robert Brown, who had 30 previous convictions for driving without a license or insurance. Both Mr Brown and his passenger Gwendoline Harrison were high on cocaine when their car hit the two small children.

Mr Brown and Ms Harrison tried to escape the scene after the crash, and even fought with members of the public – and then the police – who tried to stop them from fleeing.

Most people would surely agree that such a horrendous crime deserves a tougher sentence than just nine years in prison. With parole, Mr Brown could be out even sooner.

Sadly, Corey and Casper’s family are not the only ones to suffer the added injustice of seeing their loved one’s killer be given a derisory sentence.

We and many other MPs are all too familiar with cases similar to that of Corey and Casper, and we have lobbied the government for a number of years for tougher sentences to be introduced. We’ve been supported in this by the road safety charity Brake and other organisations. Finally, in late 2016 the pressure told when the government announced it would hold a public consultation on the issue.

That consultation ended in February 2017. This was followed by months of government silence on the issue, until at last in October the government announced they would introduce the possibility of life imprisonment for the crime.

That was eight months ago, and we are still waiting.

While the government prevaricates, families continue to suffer not only a lifetime of grief at the loss of their loved ones but the double injustice of seeing their killers receive prison sentences of only a few years.

If the law had been changed last Autumn as a matter of urgency, Corey and Casper’s killer might be serving a sentence which better reflects the fact he took the lives of two small children.

How much longer will the families who have campaigned for tougher sentences have to wait, and how many more will suffer the same injustice before changes are finally made?

We would be most grateful for a response at the earliest opportunity.

Yours sincerely,            

• Liz McInnes MP
• Paula Sherriff MP
• Sandy Martin MP
• Tony Lloyd MP
• Toby Perkins MP
• Tulip Siddiq MP
• Conor McGinn MP
• Mike Kane MP
• Ellie Reeves MP
• Faisal Rashid MP
• Siobhain McDonagh MP
• Thelma Walker MP
• Kevan Jones MP
• Graham Stringer MP
• Kelvin Hopkins MP
• Marsha De Cordova MP
• Emma Hardy MP
• Rachael Maskell MP
• John Grogan MP
• Nick Smith MP
• Madeleine Moon MP
• Anneliese Dodds MP
• John Spellar MP
• Nic Dakin MP
• Vernon Coaker MP
• Peter Dowd MP
• Ann Clwyd MP
• Ruth Smeeth MP
• Hugh Gaffney MP
• Teresa Pearce MP
• Preet Gill MP
• Jack Dromey MP
• Gill Furniss MP
• Ruth George MP
• Alex Sobel MP
• George Howarth MP
• Helen Goodman MP
• Diana Johnson MP
• Judith Cummins MP
• Colleen Fletcher MP
• Peter Kyle MP
• Marie Rimmer MP
• Caroline Lucas MP
• Stephen Timms MP
• Gordon Marsden MP
• Keith Vaz MP
• Jess Phillips MP
• Rosie Cooper MP
• Sarah Champion MP
• Jenny Chapman MP
• Emma Dent Coad MP
• Ben Lake MP
• Anna Turley MP
• Ian Lucas MP
• Roberta Blackman-Woods MP
• Tracy Brabin MP
• John McDonnell MP
• Dan Jarvis MP
• Kate Hollern MP
• Ian Mearns MP
• Naz Shah MP
• Drew Davis MP
• Graham Jones MP
• Liz Twist MP
• Ben Bradshaw MP
• Ian Austin MP
• Alex Cunningham MP
• Susan Elan Jones MP
• Jim Fitzpatrick MP
• Jared O’Mara MP
• Sharon Hodgson MP
• Jess Morden MP
• Nick Smith MP
• Roger Godsiff MP
• Wayne David MP