A young woman has been sentenced to prison after a horrific high-speed crash that claimed the lives of her boyfriend and two of his friends on a Scottish country road.
A Catastrophic Loss of Control
Jorja Colville, aged 21, was driving a Ford Focus at speeds of up to 92mph before the fatal collision on the Moss Road near Falkirk on July 26, 2024. The court heard she took a bend at approximately 85mph, lost control, and spun off the road, crashing into a tree.
The impact was catastrophic. Colville's boyfriend, Reece Williams, 23, and his friends Lewis Soden, 24, and Connor Page, 21, were all killed. Emergency services pronounced the three men dead at the scene. Colville, who passed her driving test in 2021, was hospitalised with injuries.
Sentencing and Emotional Courtroom Scenes
At the High Court in Stirling, Judge Lady Ross jailed Colville for three years and ten months and banned her from driving for six years and eleven months. The judge described Colville's actions as 'senseless, reckless and obviously dangerous'.
Colville, from Stirling, sobbed throughout the hearing. She had sought to admit to driving dangerously and at excessive speed as soon as she was discharged from hospital. Sentencing her, Lady Ross stated: 'The value of a human life is immeasurable. Three young men died as a result of your actions.'
The judge also addressed Colville's future, urging her to 'live your life well, purposefully and constructively, not just for your sake but in memory of those who died.'
Witness Accounts and Lasting Grief
Witness Kirstin Scobbie was driving at the 60mph speed limit when Colville's car overtook her. After a series of bends, she came across the wreckage. She found Colville covered in blood and screaming for help, saying the three others in the car were not awake.
Another motorist, Dean Norris, saw the Ford Focus lose control in the opposite lane and returned to offer assistance. He could find no signs of life from the three male passengers.
In a heartfelt statement released through Digby Brown Solicitors, Tracy Williams, mother of Reece, said: 'We have been blessed with these memories but are devastated there will be no more.' She added that her family recognised the tragedy also affected Colville and her family, stating: 'We know she didn't set out to cause hurt that day.'
Defence lawyer Gordon Martin acknowledged that nothing could console the families of the victims. Road policing inspector David Marr said he hoped the conviction would bring some form of justice, adding it was a 'stark reminder of the responsibility every driver has.'
