A university graduate who killed a teenage actress in a car crash on the way to a theatre performance has avoided prison. Abbey Ridgway, 26, pulled out on the A4 Bath Road in Wiltshire without looking and was hit by a lorry, seriously injuring her boyfriend, Aaron Ormesher, and killing Rosa Taylor, 19, who were passengers.
Ridgway, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, faced up to three years in jail for causing the fatal car crash at 1.30pm on July 24, 2025, but was not sentenced to any jail time. Rosa was being driven by Ridgway to Corsham Library near Swindon, where she was to star in the musical theatre production Scrumptious! However, Ridgway failed to look properly as she pulled out of the junction and veered into the path of a Scania truck, which had no chance of avoiding the collision as it ploughed into the Hyundai i10.
Rosa was in the back seat and apparently not wearing a seatbelt when the car was hit. She died of her injuries at the site of the crash. After the crash, Ridgway and her boyfriend were taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where a TV crew from Emergency 24/7 filmed them for the show. Rosa's grieving family were horrified to discover the episode nine months later after she admitted that she caused their daughter's death by careless driving.
Mr Ormesher arrived at hospital and was in no state to give consent to filming, having suffered a brain injury. Instead, it was the surgeons who permitted the camera crew access, and Ridgway was filmed. Mr Ormesher later gave consent 'in tribute to the treatment he had been given,' which he was entitled to do, Ridgway's barrister said.
Rosa had secured a scholarship at the prestigious Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, which she was due to start in September 2025 when the crash occurred. Despite causing the fatal car crash, Ridgway was only banned from driving for two years, given a 12-month community order, and told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay £199 in costs and a surcharge.
Rosa's father, Gareth Taylor, condemned Ridgway's driving and her involvement in the documentary. He told Warrington Crown Court: 'I don't know the full details of what will be shown in this documentary, but apparently the background of the accident and Rosa's death will be mentioned. While this may be seen to be in the public domain, I can confirm that I have never been asked for my consent or been informed until now, which is over nine months later. I feel consenting to this is insensitive to myself, Rosa's family and friends, and has already created an additional and unnecessary burden of stress, and that is before the programme is aired.'
The taxi driver from Upholland, Lancashire, said his daughter was 'on top of the world' with her whole life ahead of her. He said: 'I'm certain Abbey had no intention of causing the accident, and I'm sure she's very sorry it happened. But the thing that really plays on my mind is the fact that I only approved of Rosa going to Wiltshire for the shows based on the fact that Aaron was driving, as I know he is a relatively experienced driver.'
But it was Ridgway, not Mr Ormesher, at the wheel of the car, a fact Mr Taylor finds deeply concerning as she had only passed her test in the last 12 months. He said: 'I would never have approved of an inexperienced driver driving Rosa around in an unfamiliar area, which is what happened. So there were several bad decisions on the day, not least that decision to let Abbey drive. I feel she was clearly under pressure in that driving situation and that unfortunately led to her making a terrible decision at the junction. Sadly it is something that has played on my mind and will haunt me for the rest of my life.'
He added: 'I am also extremely disappointed that neither of the two insured drivers enforced Rosa to wear a seatbelt.' The District Judge for the case told Ridgway: 'You were driving what can be a lethal weapon, and a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her, a very exciting life ahead of her, never got to see it. She never got the chance to fulfill her potential. You have to live with that, and of course her family have to live with that as well. You have to bear the responsibility for the rest of your life that you killed somebody.'
