Family heartbreak as Hartshorne drink-driver is jailed for killing their daughter in late night incident

By Ashby Nub News Reporter 6th Mar 2023

Phoebe Johnson died when she was just 17-years-old following a fatal collision. Photo: Derbyshire Constabulary
Phoebe Johnson died when she was just 17-years-old following a fatal collision. Photo: Derbyshire Constabulary

"We sit in our living room and stare at our daughter's picture hanging on the wall., hoping, and longing that she will walk through the door at any minute. But we know this will never happen and our hearts sink again.

"Our lives have been destroyed and our hearts have been broken."

Those are the heartbreaking words written by Paul and Nicola Johnson in their victim impact statement as they tried to describe to the court how it feels to lose your only child.

Their daughter, Phoebe, died at just 17-years-old, as a passenger in a red Seat Leon which was being driven by Melissa Kellioh when the crash happened just after 12.30am on Saturday 23 October 2021.

They had been at a house party that evening and Kellioh, who was 19 at the time, was found to have had between 97 and 149 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood at the time of the crash, when the legal limit is 80 milligrams.

The court heard how 20-year-old had been speeding along country lanes and driving recklessly before she lost control on the A514 between Stanton-by-Bridge and Ticknall, just south of the junction with Breach Lane.

Emergency services rushed Phoebe to the intensive care unit at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham in a bid to save her, but she sadly died around 5am the same day having suffered serious head and neck injuries.

Kellioh, Brookdale Road, Hartshorne, pleaded guilty to causing death through careless driving while over the legal drink-drive limit.

She was jailed for three years following a hearing at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday 17 January.

PC Dave McAllister of our roads policing unit said: "This was a very tragic case where a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her died as the result of a completely avoidable collision, and we understand that no sentence at court will ever bring Phoebe back or erase the distress her family continue to feel every day.

"We just cannot stress enough how much drink driving wrecks lives, and the most devastating and serious of consequences that decision can make."

PC McAllister added: "Our thoughts continue to be with Phoebe's family at this time."

     

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