Teen driver jailed for killing man at car meet

A teenager who killed a man after his car hit spectators at an illegal car meeting has been detained for five years.

Lewis Samuels, 19, was driving at 74 mph (120kph) when he collided with another car and lost control, hitting the crowd at Flixborough Industrial Estate, in North Lincolnshire, on 24 September 2022.

Connor Richards, 23, died and 11 others were injured, two seriously, Hull Crown Court heard.

On Monday, Samuels was sent to a young offender institution after pleading guilty to causing death and injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard there were a large number of cars racing and hundreds of people watching them when Samuels hit another car at a junction and ploughed into the crowd.

Mr Richards, from Sheffield, received head injuries and died in hospital five days later.

In a victim statement read to the court, his mother described him as a "very special and clever young man" who "touched the hearts of many people" and loved cars.

"Unfortunately, it was the car scene that ended his life," she said.

"The only comfort that we as a family can get from this is the fact he died doing something he loved."

Prosecutor Charlotte Baines said Samuels had a high level of culpability as he made a "deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road" by driving in excess of the 30mph speed limit.

In mitigation, his lawyer Craig Lowe said his client had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and had shown "heartfelt, genuine remorse" for his actions.

The court was told that Samuels was 17 at the time of the incident and had passed his driving test just 11 weeks earlier.

Passing sentence, Judge John Thackray said it was "another sad and depressing example of a young man driving dangerously with sad and tragic consequences".

The judge said that Samuels was "showing off" and driving at "vastly excessive speed".

Samuels, of The Blackthorns in Broughton, North Lincolnshire, was also banned from driving for nine years and three months and will have to pass an extended test.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.