Family ‘living a life sentence’ as motorist jailed for killing girl, 2

The family of a two-year-old killed by a speeding driver have said they are living a life sentence after losing their “darling baby girl”, as the motorist involved was jailed for six years.

Harlow Edwards was walking along the pavement holding hands with two other children, aged six and 17 at the time, when two cars crashed on the road close to them in Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross, on 13 October last year.

A Ford Focus driven by Luke Pirie, 24, mounted the pavement, hitting all three children, killing Harlow and throwing the others over a roadside wall. They were both seriously injured.

Pirie pled guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at the High Court in Edinburgh last month.

Sentencing Pirie to six years in prison at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, Lord Ericht said he had “shattered the life of a family” .

Pirie was seen speeding through Coupar Angus and had used his mobile phone to make calls, send text messages and use the Facetime app before the crash, which happened when he was travelling at 50mph.

Lord Ericht said: “You have shattered the life of a family. For them nothing will ever be the same

“On 13 October, 2016 you indulged in a prolonged, persistent and deliberate course of very bad driving.

“You sent and read images and text messages. You were engaged in activity on a mobile phone that required you to give attention to the device.”

Lord Ericht banned Pirie from driving for seven years and ordered him to sit an extended test if he wants to drive again.

Pirie has previous convictions for violence and disorder and was on bail, serving a community payback order, when the crash occurred.

Speaking outside court, Harlow’s mother Sara said: “Justice has finally been done. We would like to thank everyone involved in making that happen.

“Although we are glad that a substantial sentence has been given we would like to say that this in no way matches the life sentence we are now living and the life that has been denied to our precious Harlow.

“We can only hope our baby girl’s beautiful face will serve as a reminder of the responsibility that comes with getting behind the wheel of a car and also the dangers of speeding and distraction to drivers, passengers and also the person on the other end of the phone who continues to communicate with someone they know is driving.”

0 Harlow Edwards was killed instantly in the crash last year