The family of a teenage student left with catastrophic injuries after two brothers raced their high-performance cars through a millionaires' enclave at speeds of up to 90mph are fighting to have their 'lenient' suspended sentences overturned.
A Boxing Day Nightmare in Poole
On Boxing Day 2023, brothers Harrison Taylor, then 19, and Henry Taylor, then 21, engaged in a high-speed race through the exclusive Sandbanks area of Poole, Dorset. Driving a Mercedes A200 and a BMW 135i—vehicles reportedly bought for them by their parents following a divorce—the pair reached terrifying speeds on 30mph roads in the early hours of the morning.
The reckless contest ended in disaster when Harrison, with his foot reportedly 'pedal to the metal', lost control of his Mercedes and collided with a gatepost. Henry's BMW then ploughed into the back of his brother's car, sending it crashing into a garden wall.
Tragically, 17-year-old Mia Savage, a passenger in the Mercedes, became trapped in the wreckage. She had to be cut free by emergency services and airlifted to hospital with what were described as life-threatening injuries.
Life-Altering Injuries and a Family's Anguish
Mia's injuries were extensive and severe. They included a shattered left femur, a tear in her aorta, a fractured neck, a broken arm, eight broken ribs, and severe internal bleeding from a severed spleen, a split diaphragm, and a lacerated liver.
She underwent complex surgery, was placed in a medically induced coma for a week, and faced a long and arduous recovery. The incident caused her to miss crucial school time, resulting in lower grades and costing her a place at her chosen university.
Her mother, lawyer Karen Bulgarelli, described arriving at the scene as a "parent's worst nightmare." In a powerful victim impact statement, she recounted the terror of not knowing if her daughter would survive and the shock of seeing her critically injured. Mia has since been diagnosed with PTSD, suffers flashbacks, and has been left with permanent scarring.
Suspended Sentences Spark Outrage and Appeal
Despite pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, both brothers avoided immediate jail time at Bournemouth Crown Court. Judge Robert Pawson labelled them "idiots, selfish and immature," noting they would be facing over a decade in prison if Mia had died.
However, citing their young ages, guilty pleas, and previous good character, he handed them an 18-month suspended sentence, a three-year driving ban, and a 14-month tagged curfew.
The Savage family has now launched an appeal against what they see as an unduly lenient punishment. "They have ruined three people's lives but they are all clapping each other on the back that they're walking out," said Ms Bulgarelli.
The Crown Prosecution Service has requested the case file for review. It will now be for the Attorney General's Office to decide whether to refer the sentences to the Court of Appeal, which holds the power to increase them.
