Grieving mother praises driver’s 18-year jail term
AHEARTBROKEN mother has praised a judge for jailing the dangerous driver who killed her teenage son for 18 years.
Connor Lapworth, 18, and Corey Mavin, 15, were travelling in the back of a Suzuki Vitara driven by Garry Robinson, 41, when he ploughed into another car on Hartford Bank in Cramlington.
Connor and Corey, both from Blyth, died following the crash on December 22 last year. A 17-year-old front seat passenger and a 36-year-old woman in the car he hit were seriously injured.
In February this year, Robinson, of no fixed address, admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
On Thursday, he was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to 18 years in prison with an extended licence period of a further four years. He was also banned from driving for life. Following the sentencing hearing, Corey’s mother Lisa read out a statement outside the court in Newcastle.
The 44-year-old said: “I would like to say justice has not been served but Garry Robinson he has got an 18-year prison sentence and he has to serve at least 12 of them. You can see the people here today and on social media and this shows how much the boys are loved, how much Corey and Connor meant to not just our devastated families but school friends, teachers, neighbours and even the community who didn’t know them.
“No day is any easier. I lay on my 15-year-old son’s chest and felt his heart stop beating alongside his dad and brothers and all of the other family, we’ll never get over this.”
Lisa went on to say: “I want to say I’m happy with the sentence. No sentence will ever be good but he’s got to do at least 12 years. He’s got to live with that and we have got to live without our boys.
“The judge was absolutely excellent. He was quite harsh. He was a good judge, he was really good. This has probably been the second hardest day ever. The first was when he passed away.”
Lisa and Connor’s mum Jenna Lapworth, 37, had feared Robinson was likely to receive a reduced prison sentence due to his early guilty plea. They said that, although sentencing guidelines have recently increased to a maximum of life for death by dangerous driving, the prison sentences handed out were generally between four and 14 years.
The pair set up an online petition on Change.org calling for harder sentences for causing death by dangerous driving. They were backed by the families of Teegan Waters, Bethany Fisher and George Fisher, who were all killed by dangerous drivers, as well as Blyth MP Ian Levy.
Lisa, who is also mother to Callum, 25, Riley, 11, and Finley, six, said: “I wasn’t expecting that sentence, I was expecting a lot less so that’s why I’m a little bit perky. I was expecting him to get seven to 10 years. I’m relieved that we don’t have to face him for a long time, for at least 12 years before he can even apply for parole.”
In relation to Corey, she added: “He’s always going to be remembered. He’s made a massive impact on everybody.”
The Journal reported how Corey, who attended Bede Academy in Blyth, and Connor, who moved to the town from Birmingham two years ago, were friends.
Jenna said she found out about the crash via a Facebook message and told Lisa about it. Jenna said she was visited at home at around 11.30pm by police officers who told her Connor had lost his life. She had to travel to North Tyneside General Hospital to identify his body.
Lisa and Corey’s dad John, 35, travelled to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington after being told about the collision by Jenna. They were told by staff at the hospital to go to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. When they arrived, they were told Corey had had a cardiac arrest and they couldn’t get any brain function from him. The following afternoon, Lisa, John and Callum were by Corey’s side as his life support machine was turned off.
Corey was cremated during a service at Blyth Crematorium on January 12. Connor was cremated in Birmingham on January 31.