A teenage motorist was driving at over 70mph when he killed a young spectator and seriously injured two others
Shocking footage of the out-of-control collision was shown in court with one woman carried on the bonnet of a speeding Ford Fiesta before falling off. At Hull Crown Court, Judge John Thackray KC said: “There could have been other fatalities here.”
Connor Richards, 23, from Sheffield died in hospital days after the fatal crash at Flixborough, near Scunthorpe on September 24, 2022. Lewis Samuels, of The Blackthorns, Broughton, near Brigg admitted causing the death of Mr Richards by dangerous driving and seriously injuring another man and a woman.
Today, he was sent to a Young Offenders’ Institution for five years and banned from driving for more than nine years. Judge Thackray KC told Samuels: “This is yet another sad and depressing example of a young man driving dangerously with sad and tragic consequences.”
He highlighted a campaign by Humberside Police called “One Second” to warn drivers, particularly your drivers and the risks of excessive speed. Samuels had passed his driving test only 11 weeks prior to the fatal collision. The judge added: “One only hopes the Humberside Police video (One Second Campaign) will prevent such tragedies in the future.”
“You were showing off, not satisfied with people just looking at your car, you drove at a vastly excessive speed.” The driver should have been aware of the hazards at the car meet which attracted hundreds of car enthusiasts.
(Image: Humberside Police/SWNS)
The crash had taken the life of the 23-year-old who the judge described as an “extremely kind and impressive young man.” The dangerous diving at 74mph had also caused serious physical and psychological injuries to two others. A number of other spectators were also injured, the court heard.
Judge Thackray said: “They will never fully recover. You have brought lifelong grief to all his (Connor) family and friends. There could have been additional fatalities here.”
Prosecuting, Charlotte Baines said Connor and his friends had attended a car meet in Scunthorpe before moving to a second location at Flixborough for a second car meet. A large number of vehicles met at the Marks and Spencer’s car park in Scunthorpe for a static car meet before moving onto the Flixborough Industrial Estate in Scunthorpe where numerous road traffic offences were committed, including competitive driving.
Samuels, who was just 17 years old at the time, was driving a red Ford Fiesta in excess of 70mph in a 30mph zone when he collided with another vehicle and then ploughed into several spectators of the event, causing fatal injuries to Connor.
Connor was taken to hospital following the collision and after spending five days in critical condition, sadly died as a result of his injuries. A number of bystanders suffered injuries, some of which were serious.
Miss Baines said the driver was aware there were a large number of people attending. Humberside Police forensic collision investigators were able to establish the speed of the Fiesta from its on-board black box, she said.
(Image: Hull Live)
Miss Baines read from Connor’s mum’s victim impact statement. Nadine Haddon said “Connor was a very special and clever young man, who touched the hearts of many people with his gentle, kind nature and unique outlook on life.” She said he was fascinated by cars and growing up he was always keen to help, particularly his grandparents. He was an apprentice mechanic.
She added: “The only comfort is that he died doing something he loved. We can only imagine his excitement and joy watching different types of cars drive past and he was probably examining every little detail of them as they drove past as that was the type of intelligent mind he had.”
A friend said how they were like brother and sister. She still suffers from blackouts and is in a wheelchair. She is undergoing trauma care and bereavement counselling.
“Driving like this is irresponsible and I lost my best friend because of this,” she said.
Mitigating, Craig Lowe said his client – now aged 19 – was remorseful and had no previous convictions. He said the lack of maturity in the teenager was a mitigating feature.
References described him as a “happy, polite, kind, helpful and honest young man.” He said he worked at McDonald’s in order to buy his first car.
The defence barrister said his client wanted to offer, through him, his “heartfelt apology.” “He offered a heartfelt apology for his incredibly stupid actions and tragic consequences. He takes full responsibility for his offending,” said Mr Lowe.
(Image: GNP)
After the hearing Sergeant Sean Hutchinson from Humberside Police Roads Policing Team, leading the investigation said: “As part of a number of lines of enquiry and specialist analysis of the collision, we were able to establish that Samuels was the driver of the Fiesta whilst it was being driven at excessive speeds in a built-up area of Flixborough before colliding with another vehicle not involved with the car meet, and ploughing into bystanders, and eventually killing Connor, all in a matter of seconds.
“Samuels suffered minor injuries as a result of his involvement in the collision and was arrested at the scene. He made a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road, showing complete disregard for the risk of danger to others. He wasn’t under the influence of drink or drugs, he was showing off, driving dangerously in an area full of pedestrians.
“This was a truly shocking incident that has left a family suffering a life sentence of pain that they will never recover from. Not only this, but Samuels has ruined his own life, and the ripple effect on his own family, friends, and loved ones is immeasurable. They will all be living with the fact he killed someone for the rest of their life.
“I would like to commend Connor’s family for their patience and strength throughout the entirety of the lengthy and complex investigation, and our thoughts remain with them as they no doubt relive the trauma of the events on a daily basis and continue to grieve the loss of their son who had the rest of his life ahead of him.
“I would also like to commend those who sustained serious injuries as a result of Samuels’ reckless actions that day. They continue to recover not only from their physical injuries but with the mental scars from that night, and I would like to commend them for their determination and courage in supporting officers throughout the course of the investigation and court proceedings.
“Every fatal collision we attend is a tragedy that didn’t need to happen, and behind every incident is a person – someone’s parent, partner, child, sibling, or best friend. In almost every case, it could have been prevented. Drivers like Samuels convince themselves they are invincible, exceeding speed limits thinking they will never be caught, or they will never lose control and hurt someone, or worse.
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“But Samuels did, and he will be reminded of that every day as he spends the next five years in prison. Those attending such events have a responsibility to drive within the rules of the road or risk facing the consequences of their actions.
“We have recently launched our One Second Roads Crime campaign which isn’t just about prosecution, it’s about prevention. Once a life is lost or changed irreversibly, there’s no going back. “Our message is simple: Drive safe, every time.”
He added: “We continue to encourage members of the public to report any road traffic offences and dangerous driving to us by calling our non-emergency number 101 or 999 in an emergency, when safe to do so, to help hold reckless and dangerous drivers like Samuels to account for their actions.
You can also submit video evidence of driving offences that you or other members of the public have witnessed via our online reporting tool, Op Snap. Find out more about the One Second campaign here – One Second | Humberside Police