Court of Appeal to review sentence of woman who caused deaths of two schoolmates in car smash
A woman motorist who was jailed for ten years for the deaths of two young schoolmates and the serious injury of a third in a collision near Sleaford is to have her sentence reviewed.
Natasha Allarakhia, of Turner Crescent, Norwich pleaded guilty at Lincoln Crown Court to causing the deaths of 17-year-old William Ray and Eddie Shore, 18, by dangerous driving, as well as a third charge of causing serious injury to passenger, Jack Prince, 18, on June 20 last year, when she crashed into the back of their stationary car waiting at traffic lights near North Rauceby on the A17.
The court had heard that before the collision, Allarakhia had reached speeds of up to 96mph in a 60mph zone and had been sipping alcohol at the wheel. Allarakhia initially told the police that a male who had run off had been driving at the time of the incident before she finally admitted to officers that she was the driver.
The court heard Allarakhia had a bad driving record including a 20 week suspended jail sentence passed in January 2023 for contravening a pedestrian crossing and driving without due care and attention.
On the date of the offence in August 2022 Allarakhia hit a taxi after driving through a red light on a pedestrian crossing.
The court heard Allarakhia was also banned from driving earlier this year under the totting up proceedure for two incidents of speeding. Those offences occurred on 13 June and 5 July, 2024, shortly before and after the fatal collision.
At her sentencing in August she was also banned from driving for 12 and a half years and would have to take a re-test, however family members of the young men spoke out saying the sentence was still too lenient.
Sleaford and North Hykeham MP Dr Caroline Johnson took up the case explaining: “Her actions have claimed the lives of two young men. The lives of their families and friends will never be the same again. She has also fundamentally changed the lives of the passengers who survived the crash.”
Sharing her concerns that the sentence imposed was “woefully inadequate”, she wrote to the Attorney General to ask for a review of the case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.
The Solicitor General, Ellie Reeves MP has replied saying that she had received a number of requests to review this sentence and she shared the concerns. She said she could only refer a case to the Court of Appeal that is deemed to be unduly lenient and she felt this case met that test.
The court will now review the case and decide in due course whether the sentence was unduly lenient and if so can extend the sentence.