TWO men have been jailed after admitting their involvement in the death of Coventry teenager Lucy Commins who died following a collision on Ansty Road in February this year.
Reece Jones, 24, of Vincent Wyles House, Coventry, was sentenced to 8 years and 9 months, while Sean Sparkes, 33, of Nuneaton Road, Bulkington, was jailed for a total of 6-and-a-half years at a hearing at Warwick Crown Court on Monday.
Both had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice after admitting to racing on Ansty Road at the time of the collision.
The pair hit speeds of 70mph before Sparkes, who was driving a VW Golf, collided with a silver Mercedes in which 16-year-old Lucy was a passenger at the junction of Woodway Lane.
Jones, who was disqualified from driving at the time, managed to avoid direct contact, but admitted driving his Ford Fiesta ST dangerously to get away from the scene and causing serious injury to another passenger in the Mercedes.
Jones also admitted perverting the course of justice by hiding the distinctive Ford Fiesta that he was driving and changing its appearance to avoid prosecution.
However, following extensive enquiries the vehicle was traced and Jones was arrested driving it almost a week after the collision.
Sparkes also admitted to perverting the course of justice by deleting the contents of his mobile phone, linking him to Jones and causing serious injury to a passenger in the Mercedes.
Sentencing the men, Judge Sylvia De Bertadano told them It didn’t matter in the least which car struck the other vehicle.
The family of Lucy have paid tribute to her in statement they said: “From the moment Lucy was born she was our princess.
“Lucy was a very happy, caring girl who loved life and enjoyed spending time with friends and family. Lucy was a typical teenager who had lots of goals and aims in life. She couldn’t wait to leave college, pass her driving test and eventually start a family of her own.
“Lucy had so much life ahead of her and we will all miss out on seeing her achieve her goals and grow into a woman. The whole family is broken and we will never be the same again.
“All the material possessions in the world could never replace a child. We would rather be penniless and living in a cardboard box if it would mean having our little girl back.
“We will never again be able to hear her voice, hold her close, see her smile or hear her cheeky laugh.
“Any sentence given will never be enough as it will not bring our baby back.
“The people responsible have not only taken Lucy’s life, they have taken the life from our whole family. We are left serving a life sentence.
“Lucy’s four-year- old niece says goodnight to the stars and kisses Lucy’s picture every night, and her 10 year old niece wrote about her and said ‘She used to look after me and my little sister and she used to take us everywhere. I still can’t believe I’m not going to see her again until I go to heaven.’
“The family would like to thank everyone concerned for their help and support at this difficult time. It is the only thing that’s kept us going.”
Two other men are due to appear at Warwick Crown Court on December 12, 2014 in connection with the collision.
