A heartbroken Newcastle mother has said she is "disgusted" after the teenage driver who killed her son received a suspended sentence. Andrew Robson was riding a motorbike when he was involved in a head-on collision with a Ford Fiesta that was dangerously overtaking another car.
Andrew suffered catastrophic injuries in the collision, which happened on Spring Road in Murton, County Durham, on September 22, 2024. Paramedics attended the scene and carried out CPR but the 29-year-old was sadly pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Driver sentenced at Teesside Crown Court
The driver of the Ford Fiesta, Jack Appleton, was only 17-years-old at the time of the crash and went on to plead guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. On Thursday, the now 19-year-old was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for three years at Teesside Crown Court.
Speaking to Chronicle Live after the sentencing, Andrew's mam Julie McDonald said she is "disgusted" with the outcome and intends to appeal the sentence. "It's shocked us, the whole thing", Julie, 56, said.
"It's awful, I'm disgusted. He's killed my son and my son's life means absolutely nothing [to the court]. They were all there for the defendant. For two years [Appleton] has been protected while we were silenced."
Family plans appeal
Appleton had been driving towards a car meet and moved out of the line of traffic he was in and carried out a "dangerous overtaking manoeuvre" before crashing into Andrew. The court heard that Appleton, of Coach Lane, Hazlerigg, Newcastle, has autism spectrum disorder, a learning disability and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the collision.
But Julie believes Appleton has shown no remorse for what happened. She said: "[The defence barrister] said he can't communicate properly, but he was part of a car group and worked in a fish and chip restaurant. It's craziness, no remorse has been shown."
"It's awful. When losing a child, all I've ever had was hope. The police did a fantastic job and I hoped the judge would give us justice, but that's gone."
Julie, from Wideopen, said the family will be appealing the sentence through the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme. She added: "No wonder young people are doing what they want, there's no punishment."
Court statement and sentence details
During the court sentencing, Julie read out an emotional statement and referenced Andrew's daughter. She said: "That little girl has cried for her daddy for two years. I now feel like I've lost everything. I need Jack Appleton to understand what he has done. The lives that he has destroyed."
As well as a suspended sentence, Appleton was disqualified from driving for six years and ordered to carry out 280 hours of unpaid work. Appleton's barrister told the court the defendant had expressed "clear palpable remorse".
He said: "There are no words that I or he could put forward to express how sorry he is for their loss and how heavily he bears the responsibility for it." He further added: "His remorse here is deep."
