The Chronicle

Heartbroke­n that driver is out of prison

- By KATIE DICKINSON

A MUM has described how she “broke down and cried” at learning the speeding driver who left her daughter with devastatin­g brain injuries has been released from prison.

Brian Taylor was driving at more than double the speed limit when he lost control of his car and knocked down a pedestrian in June 2015.

Taylor’s then 18-year-old passenger, Beth Oliver, suffered catastroph­ic brain injuries in the crash, robbing her of the ability to walk and talk.

She requires round-the-clock care and, two years later, has still been unable to return home to her family in Winlaton, Gateshead. Pedestrian David McLeish, who was 61 at the time, also suffered lifechangi­ng injuries.

Taylor was sentenced to 32 months behind bars in February 2016 after he admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

But Beth’s heartbroke­n mum Claire Foster says the police have now confirmed Taylor is out on licence for the second half of his term.

“I just broke down crying when I heard,” said Clare, 46, of Winlaton. “There are no words for how I feel – it’s just brought everything right back.

“The fact that he lives so close just makes me want to cry. I can’t stop thinking about it. Someone told us he had been released and we spoke to the police who dealt with Beth’s case, who confirmed it. I think we should have been told straight away, but apparently Reporter the probation service will only alert families if there’s been a fatality.”

Beth, who is about to turn 21, was catching a lift home with Taylor on June 16, 2015 when he lost control of his car at a roundabout on Cushycow Lane in Ryton, Gateshead. She suffered a severe brain injury and lives at the Alan Shearer Centre, where she receives constant specialist care.

As well as a 32-month prison sentence, Taylor, then 23, was also handed a five-year and four-month driving ban. But the family started a petition last year calling for harsher penalties for dangerous driving. Claire said: “I think his sentence is an insult, it’s disgusting. Beth’s life is gone now – she’s never going to have a job, she’s never going to have children. What he’s got is nothing – we’ve got to live with it for the rest of our lives.”

But the family, including Beth’s three brothers, have taken some comfort in the fact that Beth’s Facebook account has been restored after an appeal in the Chronicle. And messages of love and support have already started flooding in ahead of her 21st birthday next week.

One said: “You’re one of the strongest people I know and have come so far, still as beautiful as ever and we are all very proud of you.” Brian Taylor

 ??  ?? Beth and her mum Claire Foster
Beth and her mum Claire Foster
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