Teen who killed three friends in crash detained for two years

A newly qualified motorist with 'history of bad driving' has been sentenced to detention.
Matilda Seccombe, 16, Harry Purcell, 17, and fellow sixth-former Frank Wormald, 16, all died when a car driven by Edward Spencer, then 17, crashed in Warwickshire.
Three other friends in the car were seriously hurt.
Two children, then 10 and 12, who were travelling in the other vehicle with their stepmum, were left with life-changing injuries that they receive treatment for to this day.
Matilda, known as Tilly, had told a friend she worried about Spencer's driving just hours before the collision on their way back from school, her dad James revealed previously.
The newly qualified motorist, who had received his driving license six weeks before, had previously admitted causing the deaths of his three friends.
Families of the killed teens and those injured accused Spencer of lack of remorse after he was seen smirking during a previous hearing.
He was sentenced to two years' detention at Warwick Crown Court today and he was banned from driving for eight years. Before he attempts to drive again, Spencer will need to take an extended re-test.
Spencer changed his plea to guilty in March after he had previously denied causing the deaths by dangerous driving.
Judge Andrew Lockhart KC told Spencer at sentencing that his previous and 'habitual' poor driving meant that the was a 'terrible inevitability' about the 'catastrophic' collision.
His bad driving – found on social media posts and videos – included showing off.
The collision happened after the teenagers were travelling home from school in Stretton-on-Fosse in April 2023.
Spencer, of Armscote Road, Newbold on Stour, had passed his driving test five weeks before the crash.
He lost control of his Ford Fiesta, smashing into a Fiat on the opposite lane on the B4035.
Seccombe, Purcell and Wormald died after their injuries.
Two children, aged 10 and 12, travelling in the Fiat suffered life-changing injuries.
The court heard previously that Spencer does not remember the crash.
Inspector Michael Huntley, from the Warwickshire police serious collision unit, said previously: 'Driving requires judgment and care, even more so when you lack experience.
Parents of Tilly Seccombe, James and Juliet, have joined a campaign calling for 'graduated' licenses for new drivers after the death of their daughter.
Mr Seccombe told MailOnline earlier that they regret letting her go in his car.
He said: 'I did say to (Spencer) face to face here in our living room to be careful when driving with people in the car and he promised me he would be. Clearly, he didn't.'
He said that another friend told the police after the incident that Ms Seccombe was 'worried about Ed's driving and that messages from her phone showed there was allegedly another driving incident 'that she was clearly cross about' and got a 'belligerent response' from Spencer.
Young UK drivers aged between 17-24 are involved in almost one quarter (24%) of deadly or serious injury crashes, research shows.
In 2023, 4,959 people died or were seriously hurt in collisions involving at least one young driver, according to charity Road Peace, which is campaigning for graduated driving licensing to 'save lives.'
'As this tragic case shows, the consequences of careless driving can be devastating. More Trending
'So many lives have been ruined by this terrible incident. I can't begin to imagine the pain this has caused, and our thoughts remain with the individuals and families affected.
'Edward Spencer will live with the consequences of his careless actions for the rest of his life, as will the families of all those involved.'
The Chipping Campden School community, where the teens were Year 12 pupils, was 'profoundly' shocked by the deaths, principal John Sanderson said after the crash.
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