A careless and inconsiderate teenager who caused the death of a school assistant near Sheffield has been jailed.

William Eade, aged 19, was driving a Skoda on 2 April 2022, when it crashed into several trees on Harewood Road, Holymoorside, Chesterfield, killing his passenger Lucy Knowles. Lucy, a 17-year-old school assistant, was sitting behind Eade when the tragic accident occurred.

Today Eade, of Enfield Road, Newbold, Chesterfield, was jailed for 10 months at Derby Crown Court on Friday March 24. He pleaded guilty to killing 17-year-old Lucy for careless or reckless driving, the Derby Telegraph reports.

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Jeremy Janes, the prosecutor, said the tragedy occurred at 10:45 p.m. when Eade lost control of his car, going through two trees before hitting a third and coming to a stop. Calculations show that the first impact was at 14.62 times gravity. Investigations found the speed at which the car hit the tree on the 60mph highway was 55mph, but according to the car’s black box, Eade had been driving at 59mph five seconds before the final impact.

Lucy was taken to Sheffield North General Hospital and pronounced dead on April 5. The court heard how Eade had been drinking but did not exceed the legal limit. Cannabis was also found in his system, but also below the limit established by law.

Lucy’s distraught family said Eade’s actions have put them through hell. In a statement read at Derby Crown Court to Lucy’s mother, Kerry spoke of the difficulty of telling her other children about Lucy’s death.

She said: “I’ve been through hell and I know a lot of Lucy’s other family and friends have too. She loved life, she worked hard, she made life fun.”

Her father Paul added: “Losing Lucy changed everyone who knew her and left a hole in our hearts that will never heal.”

Lucy, from Dunston, Chesterfield, worked as a preschool assistant trainee at Newbold Parish Church Pre-School and was described in court as her mother’s best friend and firstborn.

Combined data collected by police in an investigation two weeks after the accident showed that 88 percent of the vehicles on the road were driving much slower than Eade on that fateful night. Mr Janes said: “He was driving too fast for too long on an unsafe road to do the speeds he was actually doing.”

William Bennett, defending Eade, said: “Lucy Knowles should not be dead and there would be no price paid by this defendant that could satisfy the victim’s family for the loss they suffered.”

“He was overconfident driving at that speed. He was a bit of an arrogant driver.”

Bennett added that “it was his (Eade’s) fault” and that the defendant had asked him to “publicly apologize for the pain and loss he has caused in this court. If he was arrogant, he is no longer so.” .

Sentencing Eade, Judge Nigel Godsmark KC said: “You are responsible for the death of Lucy Knowles. For her death at the age of 17. I fully accept that was the last thing you wanted.”

“But you did cause his death by not reading the road and not adjusting your speed. You are not an evil person, you meant no harm, but you have a responsibility.”

Eade was also banned from driving for five years and told he must take an extended driving test in the future.

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