A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for causing the deaths of five people by dangerous driving. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, crashed a stolen Renault Clio into a tree on Stonegate Road in Leeds on 24 November 2017.
The victims were Ellis, 12, Elliot Thornton-Kimmitt, 14, Darnell Harte, 15, Anthony Armour and Robbie Meerun, both 24. All five died from multiple injuries. The teen admitted five counts of causing death by dangerous driving and was also banned from driving for five years upon release.
Friends and family of the victims left Leeds Crown Court in tears. In an emotional interview outside court, the victim's sister Elise Dhers said: 'Four years is not long enough – four years is not even a year for a life. He will be out in two years’ time.' Another sister, Natasha Dhers, added: 'To me that’s not justice because I’m never going to see my little brother again.'
The court heard that the defendant has the maturity of a 10-year-old due to ill health, absence from school and hearing problems. Sentencing, Judge Peter Collier QC told the teen: 'What happened that night will impact your life from now on. I don’t think a day will go by that you won’t think about this.'
The judge refused to lift a reporting restriction that would allow the boy to be identified. The car was stolen from the Headingley area before the crash, which occurred at 9.54pm. Emergency services found two people dead on the pavement upon arrival.
