'That will stay with her forever': Mother spared jail after tragic A52 crash claims two sons
A mother who killed her two young sons and seriously injured three other people when she lost control of her car due to an under-inflated tyre has been spared jail by a judge.
Eight-year-old Louie Ellis and Mason Ellis, aged six, died after the Vauxhall Astra driven by Amy Sheppard, 29, collided head-on with an Audi in Sutton on Sea, on October 2, 2023.
Another child in the Astra was also injured but survived, and three adults in the Audi were hospitalised with serious injuries, Lincoln Crown Court was told.
Sheppard, of Mumby Road, Huttoft, pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of the two young brothers by careless driving.
The siblings were passengers in the back of her car, sat on on boosters and wearing seatbelts, with the other child in the middle in a car seat.
Sheppard also admitted three counts of causing serious injury by careless driving relating to Timothy Gregg, who was driving the Audi, his wife Sasha, who was in the front passenger seat, and his brother-in-law, Wayne Grantham.
The court heard Sheppard had picked up her two sons from a primary school in Mablethorpe after finishing her job as a nursery nurse and was travelling along the A52 to her home in Huttoft when she failed to negotiate a left hand bend.
An expert vehicle examiner later concluded the loss of control was caused by the under-inflated offside rear tyre which gave a reading of just five psi following the collision, but which could have lost pressure during the crash.
David Eager, prosecuting, told the court Sheppard's Astra simply crossed into the opposite lane and collided head-on with the Audi.
But Mr Eager explained "the seeds were sewn the previous day" when Sheppard sent her partner a WhatsApp message at 11.29am which read "my tyre is going flat again," followed by a frown emoji.
Mr Eager said Sheppard's partner mistakenly checked her front right tyre that evening and it gave a reading of 32 psi.
"Sadly, tragically he did not check any of the other tyres," Mr Eager added.
CCTV footage obtained by the prosecution showed the under-inflated tyre on Sheppard's journey to work, and Mr Eager explained there were two local filling stations with psi machines within a four mile radius when she started her last journey.
An experienced motorist who was travelling behind Sheppard on the A52 described how she was driving otherwise normally ten miles below the speed limit, but noticed the under-inflated tyre and estimated its psi at just 15-20.
Mr Eager said the driver was so concerned that he dropped backwards and noticed the Astra was "wallowing."
"The back end went, it turned 45 degrees," the driver explained.
"It must have been like it appeared from nowhere to the guy in the Audi."
Louie passed away at the scene of the accident. Mason and the other child were air lifted by the Air Ambulance to Sheffield children’s hospital. Mason sadly passed away just hours later but the four-year-old survived.
Mr Eager said Sheppard, who was also injured, gave a full account during a two-hour police interview in which she admitted being aware of the under-inflated tyre and not rectifying it.
A moving victim impact statement from the boy's father, Laurie Ellis, who was separated from Sheppard and with a different partner at the time of the collision, was read out by Mr Eager.
Mr Ellis described Mason as his best friend who was "always cheeky, always smiling."
"Losing him feels like losing part of myself," Mr Ellis explained.
Mr Ellis also noted Louie's love of football and watching Liverpool together.
"I miss the little things the most," Mr Ellis added.
Mr Ellis said his pain had also been made worse by Sheppard's behaviour towards him both before, and after the collision.
"Any normal parent would never take that risk. I will never understand it, I will never forgive it," Mr Ellis insisted.
Katherine Robinson, mitigating, said Ms Sheppard had been assesed as suffering from a severe mental health condition as a result of the trauma of the incident.
The court heard Ms Sheppard was also the "primary carer" for another child, and suitable for rehabilitation.
"This is a lady with no previous offending, no endorsements on her licence and a history of work," Ms Sheppard added.
Ms Robinson concluded by urging the court to pass a non-custodial sentence and stressed the greatest punishment she could ever face was the loss of her children.
"That will stay with her forever," Ms Robinson stated.
Passing sentence Judge James House KC said: "On October 2 2023 what was a normal working and school day ended in an absolute tragedy."
Judge House stressed the seeds were sewn when Ms Sheppard's partner checked the wrong tyre the previous evening.
"That miscommunication or misunderstanding between them was to lead to catastrophic consequences," Judge House noted.
Judge House agreed with the assessment of the driver following behind Sheppard that her rear offside tyre was only inflated to 15-20psi, and said she chose to drive home before rectifying the problem.
"It was that decision, or non-decision which is the carelessness in this case," Judge House insisted.
But Judge House said the strong personal mitigation and fact Sheppard was still the primary carer for a young child meant he could suspend her jail sentence "as an act of mercy."
"Her carelessness caused the death of her two sons," Judge House noted.
"It has long been recognised there are exceptional cases which come before the courts."
Sheppard, who has an identical sister, was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment suspended for two years, banned from driving for two years and must take a retest.
She must also complete a 12 month mental health course and 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days.