Dangerous young driver who killed taxi driver and passenger has jail term increased after appeal
- Perry Richardson
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
A woman whose dangerous driving killed a taxi driver and his passenger in Gloucestershire has had her prison sentence increased after the Court of Appeal ruled that her original punishment was unduly lenient.
Liberty Mitchell, 21, of Chipping Norton, appeared before the Court of Appeal in London on Tuesday 28 July after the Crown Prosecution Service referred her case to the Attorney General’s Office under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Her prison sentence has now been increased from six years and eight months to nine years and three months. Her driving disqualification has also been extended from eight years and four months to 11 years and two months.
Mitchell had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and two counts of causing death by driving whilst uninsured. She was originally sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on 13 February.
The case stems from a multi-vehicle collision on the B4425 at Riversmeet North near Aldsworth on 2 December 2022. The crash involved a Mini Cooper driven by Mitchell, an Audi A3, a Polestar 2 and a Seat Leon taxi travelling between the Coln St Aldwyns and Eastington turnings.
Taxi driver Octavian Codreanu died at the scene. His passenger, school teacher Moyra Whelan, was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol but later died from her injuries. Three other people suffered serious and life changing injuries in the collision.
Commenting after the appeal, Sergeant Williams from Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Serious Collision Investigation Team said: “Liberty Mitchell’s actions on Friday 2 December 2022 have had a long lasting impact on not only the families of those involved in the collision, but also the emergency service colleagues and members of the public who had to deal with the aftermath.
“I am pleased that the concerns which were raised about Mitchell’s original sentence length were listened to and that her prison sentence has been increased.
“Nothing will bring back Octavian Codreanu and Moyra Whelan or reverse the life changing injuries that several others sustained during the collision but I hope their families feel that justice has now been served.”
Police said their investigation found Mitchell had repeatedly driven at excessive speed and used her mobile phone while driving despite having passed her driving test less than three weeks before the fatal collision.
Officers also examined Mitchell’s social media activity and found videos recorded for Snapchat while she was driving. According to police, the footage showed her driving at speeds of up to 100mph on county roads and, in another video, crossing onto the opposite side of the carriageway towards an oncoming vehicle while passengers shouted at her to stop.
