Speeding driver jailed for death of teen
THE speeding driver who admitted killing teenager Lillian Groves has been jailed for eight months.
John Page, of Underwood, Fieldway, had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
-
John Page
He had also admitted driving without insurance when he hit the 14-year-old outside her home in Headley Drive, New Addington, last year.
At Croydon Crown Court today Page, 35, was sentenced to eight months for causing death by careless driving and disqualified from driving for two years.
And for driving without insurance he was sentenced to six months, with this sentence to run concurrently.
Judge Stephen Waller said: “You were a local man and knew fully well you should not have been driving as fast as you were. This was a very sad case and there is no sentence I can pass which is going to reduce the family’s pain.
“I take the view, having considered all the evidence, that at the time you were driving too fast as you must have known because you were showing off this car.”
Page was travelling at 43mph in a 30mph zone when he hit Lillian, who had gone into the street to collect a football while playing with her little brother Oliver on June 26 last year.
Page had previously asked for an adjournment so an independent expert could analyse the skid marks on the road.
It was following the results of these tests that Page entered his guilty plea last month and expressed his regrets through his solicitor, Roderick James, to Lillian’s family.
Today, the court heard that following the accident traces of cannabis were found in Page’s blood and a half smoked joint with his DNA on it was discovered on the dashboard of the car he had been driving.
Landscape gardener Page, who has a previous conviction for threats to kill, said he had smoked the drug earlier in the day and couldn’t remember how the joint got on his dashboard.
He had borrowed the silver Vauxhall car earlier from a colleague I n Biggin Hill and had taken a friend and his niece on a ride around the estate.
Gavin Timms, who was in the front passenger seat, described that Page “put his toe down” when he got to Headley Drive.
His niece, Elizabeth Page, was in the back seat. She said she didn’t think Page was driving too fast but he was over the speed limit.
Since the incident, the court was told Page’s partner has left him, he has moved back in with his mum and was sacked from his job last week.
Lillian, who attended Addington High, was an immensely popular girl, described by her mother as her “little princess”.
Last month more than 150 people gathered outside her home and released balloons during a memorial service held exactly a year after Lillian died.
Her parents, Gary and Natasha, released a pink balloon attached to a message that read: “Miss you lots, love you lots and can’t wait to join you.”
Michaela Groves, Lillian’s aunt, told the Advertiser after the service: “It was nice to see so many people standing by our side.
“We live in this community but a lot of the time we don’t really get to speak to the neighbours across the road.
“Sometimes it takes a tragedy for everyone to come together.”
Fieldway Councillors Simon Hall and Carole Bonner have asked for two mobile speed checkers to be deployed in Headley Drive in a bid to reduce motorists’ speed and avert further tragedy.
11 Comments
View all
by LAFANTASTICA
Sunday, July 10 2011, 10:12PM
“You don't stone somebody for sleeping with someone.”
by billron
Friday, July 08 2011, 4:23PM
“What a pitiful sentence for taking a young innocent persons life. I have 2 young children and know what I would do if someone knocked them over while speeding and under the influence! An eye for an eye as they say.”
by tas1996
Friday, July 08 2011, 10:17AM
“The laws in this country are ****. He goes to prison or shall we say holiday camp for 4 months , while we her family get life. How can this be!!!!!!!!!! Drastic measures need to change. If the blood samples had been done when he was arrested and not 9 hours later we could have been looking at a different charge altogether, this should be done compulsory at the scene of a collision just like drink driving. And not down to the offender agreeing to consent. At no time through this very difficult process did he show any remorse but stood there with a blank canvas on this face, however this only changed when he was taken down and left the courtroom slamming the door and a face like thunder. We are so sooo sorry Lillian that the Criminal Justice system let you down in a big way and you did not deserve that by any means. Life for a life. The best possible sentence would be to hand him over to the family that he has destroyed.”
by djerbel2
Thursday, July 07 2011, 11:35PM
“sorry should have said sunningvale avenue”
by djerbel2
Thursday, July 07 2011, 11:27PM
“residential areas are where people live and relax and i think its high time we made it immpossible for cars m cycles ect to be able to exeed 30 mph. then estates would then be a dam sight quieter and safer for residents to enjoy a safer less stressful life.as it is at the moment you could be crossing the road and have a car bearing down on you at 50 in a 30 limit .weve all had that happen. this is totaly out of order on residential estates.where i live in the biggin hill valley speeding cars are making walking a lot more unsafe .sunningvale road in the valley is more like walking alongside brands hatch track.this is a long straight road with a v tight bend in the middle yet there is not one speed limit sign in it.you regularly see cars doing 50 plus this is a strict 30 max road in the middle of an estate.2 speed cameras would stop the speeding .”
by ArfurTowcrate
Thursday, July 07 2011, 9:21PM
“@ djerbel2 - I agree with you. Sadly, Councillor Phil Thomas seems to favour speeding motorists over pedestrians, and reportedly told council highway engineers that they were not allowed to put down speed humps - and if they did they would face disciplinary action.
In answer to a question raised by Councillor Carole Bonner, about putting down speed humps down following Lillian Groves' death caused by John Page driving at 43mph in a 30 zone, he gave the following "get stuffed" answer:
"The Council is most concerned to hear about the recent fatal collision on Headley
Drive and will investigate the causes and contributory factors in fine detail, once these
become available. Council officers will then meet with officers from the Metropolitan
Police to look at any specific issues arising from their investigations and will consider
any measures that can be introduced to assist in encouraging lower vehicle speeds
and improving road safety on this road.
If vehicle speed is found to be a major factor, the most appropriate course of action is
likely to be of an enforcement nature. Headley Drive is subject to a 30mph speed limit
and I will direct officers to contact the Metropolitan Police to request that additional
speed enforcement be carried out on this road.
In addition to this, the Fieldway Safer Neighbourhood Teams could provide the
"RoadWatch" initiative on Headley Drive using the speed monitoring equipment
provided to them by the Council. Given this tragic incident, I would also hope that
local residents will volunteer to assist in this speed monitoring, which will help
demonstrate to motorists that speeding is not acceptable on the borough's roads"
The Metropolitan Police don't have the time or inclination to stop speeding - that's why we have a problem with speeding in New Addington and other parts of Croydon and indeed across London.
Speed monitoring by local residents doesn't work - from reports I've had from a member of the (now abolished) Croydon Council Road Safety Partnership , motorists found to be speeding would be sent a warning letter - and not much more.
If Councillor Thomas is sincere (and there's a lot of room for doubt) when he says he "will consider any measures that can be introduced to assist in encouraging lower vehicle speeds
and improving road safety on this road", then he better not rule out the things guaranteed to stop speeding - speed humps, speed cushions and speed tables.
If he won't allow local residents to get the traffic-calming they want, then councillors should tell Council leader Mike Fisher to tell Phil Thomas that either humps go in to save lives or he gets booted off the Cabinet and loses the £33k a year he gets for this job (on TOP of the £11k he gets for being a councillor).”
by JBP888
Thursday, July 07 2011, 8:56PM
“Ok, so to summarise:
The guy
a) Killed a child
b) Was speeding
c) Did not have insurance
d) Was high and in possession of cannibis
e) Has a previous conviction for threats to kill
...and all this deserves is 8 MONTHS? 8 YEARS shouldn't have been enough to make up for killing somebody's daughter....surely...?
[Judge Stephen Waller said: "......This was a very sad case and there is no sentence I can pass which is going to reduce the family's pain.] ..... So is THAT the reason you gave a measly 8 months? Why don't you just pat him on the **** and send him to sweep the streets for a bit then, by that token???
Somebody was obviously bribing the judge, or sleeping with him. In this country, I wouldn't be surprised if it was both.”
by mogs114
Thursday, July 07 2011, 6:46PM
“unbelieveable ! Lilian and her family deserve much more than this.....”
by roomster
Thursday, July 07 2011, 6:17PM
“How can it only be classed as careless driving his speed alone in that area means he was driving dangerously, he will be out in about 3 months”
by djerbel2
Thursday, July 07 2011, 5:12PM
“unbelivable sentence time for speed cameras to put on all residential housing estates.makes my blood boil seeing idiots driving at well over 40 in a 30 max area.”