NEARLY 3,000 people from Warrington were among 160,000 who signed a petition calling for life sentences for people who cause death by dangerous driving.
As a result, a debate on dangerous driving was secured in Parliament by Warrington North MP Helen Jones, chairman of the Petitions Select Committee
Ms Jones had met a number of bereaved families prior to the debate, including Mr and Mrs Glenn Youens from St Helens who started the petition.
Their four-year-old daughter Violet-Grace was hit by a hit-and-run driver subsequently convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
The MP outlined a number of tragic cases and said: ““The law does not cope well with such offences. It leaves families believing they have not had justice and the public looking on in amazement at what seem to be unduly lenient sentences.
“I met some of the families and heard their stories. They told me that they felt they were treated as though they were criminals. They were not allowed to show emotion in court and were sometimes told not to sit in the court. They were not allowed to read out all their victim statement in case it upset the perpetrator. They sometimes felt that they were the ones on trial.
“Families have told me of seeing people cheer in court because their sentence was so light.
“Our justice system is simply not working for bereaved families.”
She said that governments of all colours had tried to fill in the gaps in the law so that it operated properly.
The MP went on to argue that a simple one-clause Bill could make the changes necessary to increase the maximum sentence and that this could be done quickly before, “someone else – God forbid, another child – is killed before we act.”
Along with a public education campaign, she said,
“It is clear that we should get on with increasing the maximum sentence. The Government would have the support of the public and widespread support among all parties in the House, and such action would rebuild confidence in the law and recognise the campaigning of bereaved families. Most importantly, it might save lives – and surely saving even one life makes this worth doing.”
Picture: Some of the bereaved families who attended the debate in Parliament.
