Tragic waste
ONE YOUNG LIFE LOST, ANOTHER FACING A POSSIBLE JAIL TERM
A TEENAGE motorist has admit- ted causing the death of a talented young referee by careless driving.
Kieran Oliver, from Gateshead, died after a crash on Birkland Road in Kibblesworth on August 13.
The 18-year-old, who was a passenger, suffered fatal injuries in the collision which left four other people seriously injured. Now William Davidson, who was 17 at the time of the crash but is now 18, has pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard Davidson, of Saltwell Road, Gateshead, was driving a Peugeot 208 on country roads when the car he was driving hit an oncoming vehicle.
Rebecca Laverick, prosecuting, said: “The collision report says that to have kept the vehicle on the road it could have been travelling at no more than 50mph.
“The defendant himself doesn’t know what happened, how he came to lose control of the car.”
Ms Laverick said several other people suffered serious injuries as a result.
“The two rear side passengers sustained significant injuries and persons in the oncoming vehicle sustained serious injuries.
“The driver of the oncoming vehicle suffered a broken lower back which is described as having had a ‘significant life-changing impact’ on him.”
District Judge Roger Elsey adjourned the case to Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing on April 11. He told Davidson: “The aggravating features include higher culpability because of the serious injuries caused to other occupants of the vehicle in addition to the fatal injuries sustained by Kieran Oliver.”
Following Kieran’s death, the local football community rushed to pay tribute to a promising young lad who dreamed of refereeing in the Premier League and had the talent to make his dream come true.
Geoff Eltringham, of Durham FA referees academy, said: “He was so passionate about it and there’s no doubt if he had been given time he would have progressed up the ladder.”
Heather Scott, head teacher at Joseph Swan Academy, described her former pupil as “a hardworking, caring and compassionate lad”.