A young teacher whose entire immediate family was wiped out by a drug-addled foreign driver has expressed her profound fury after learning the killer is poised to walk free under Labour's controversial early-release scheme. Summer Mace, now 26, lost her mother Lisa, 49, her sister Jade, 25, and her stepfather Paul, 41, when their car was violently struck at 96mph by Lithuanian national Aurelijus Cielevicius.
A Tragic Collision and Inadequate Justice
The 43-year-old Cielevicius, who astonishingly escaped with just two broken ribs because his body was so relaxed from drug intoxication that it did not tense for impact, was originally jailed for more than a decade. However, he is now set to be freed and deported under Sir Keir Starmer's government plan to alleviate prison overcrowding, having served less than three years behind bars. A furious Summer Mace stated that Labour had effectively handed the perpetrator a 'get out of jail free card'.
Heartbreaking Social Media Revelation
In a deeply emotional Facebook post, Summer revealed how she and her father Jason, 53, are 'awaiting the dreaded email to tell us he has been deported and is a free man'. She wrote: 'Unfortunately due to the new Early Release Scheme the man who killed my family could be released and deported anytime now. We have been told that he is eligible and it’s very likely to happen, we just don’t know when.'
Summer, who was just 23 when she had to organise the triple funeral, added with palpable anguish: 'This means he will be free in his own home country and get to live his life again whilst only having served three years for killing three people. Three human beings - three of the most beautiful people.'
The Fatal Crash and Toxic Intoxication
Cielevicius was high on a dangerous cocktail of crystal meth, cannabis, and the party drug mephedrone (MCAT) when he drove his BMW X5 onto the wrong side of the A47 in Norfolk in January 2023. Forensic tests revealed he was 15 times over the legal limit for methamphetamine and three times over the limit for cannabis at the time of the catastrophic collision.
The court heard how he had sped through red traffic lights moments before the impact. Witnesses reported the BMW travelling at excessive speed, and forensic collision investigators determined the speedometer was stuck at 96mph upon impact. Summer disclosed that her mother's injuries were so severe she was unable to kiss her a final goodbye.
A System Failure and Public Outcry
'I’ve completely lost faith in the justice system,' Summer declared. 'He’ll be back home in Lithuania, free as a bird - popping to the shops, going out with friends, getting on with his life like nothing happened. We don’t get that. We never will. Where is the justice in that?'
She issued a direct plea to the Prime Minister: 'The Prime Minister needs to take a long, hard look at this early release scheme and what it really means for victims like us. It shouldn’t just be about freeing up prison cells - it’s about the lives that have been destroyed.'
Understanding Labour's Early Release Scheme
The early release scheme was launched by the Labour government to address critical overcrowding in prisons, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood warning the justice system would grind to a halt without intervention. Under the programme, offenders sentenced to less than four years for crimes not classified as sex offences, terrorism, or serious violent crimes can be considered for early release.
This includes killers convicted of manslaughter, like Cielevicius who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. As of January, official figures indicate more than 1,200 serious criminals sentenced to over a decade have been released early under the scheme.
Political Intervention and Parliamentary Scrutiny
James Wild, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, raised this specific case during Prime Minister's Questions, describing it as a 'terrible case' and warning that 'three years for three lives would be the final insult'. He urged Sir Keir Starmer to personally intervene to prevent what he called a 'pitiful' imminent release, arguing such a short sentence would 'undermine public confidence in our justice system'.
In response, Sir Keir stated he would examine the circumstances of the case, telling Mr Wild: 'Thank you for raising what is obviously a terrible case and I will make sure it is looked into, if he can provide further details, so we can do it as quickly as possible.'
Summer Mace concluded with a public warning: 'I feel it is important that the public are aware of this new scheme and how it affects the victims. His crime is not seen as being severe enough to stop this from happening. I am unsure how killing three people in the way he did is not counted as severe. Yes, he has a ban from coming back to the UK but it’s not good enough. He has not served his punishment and yet again justice is not served.'
