A teenage motorist who partied in the months after she killed two young passengers after crashing her car into a tree has been locked up.
Madeleine Lonsdale has been handed a 14-month detention sentence after the collision in Marston, Lincolnshire, on June 20 last year.
Harrison Carter, 18, and George Stephenson, 17, who had recently finished their A-level exams, died in the incident.
Lonsdale, from Long Bennington in Lincolnshire, admitted two counts of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.
The court was told Lonsdale and another teenage driver had decided to race their cars to test their top speeds, reaching 100mph on the A1 during a late-night trip to purchase snacks, alcohol and vapes from a petrol station.
Prosecutor Steven Taylor explained Lonsdale turned onto a rural country road and accelerated beyond 70mph before approaching a right-hand bend.
“It appears she misjudged the distance to the first bend and failed to slow down at all on her approach,” Mr Taylor said.
Her Kia Niro was travelling at 76mph moments before striking the tree on Toll Bar Road, despite the unlit road having a 60mph limit and signage warning of the upcoming curve.
Toll Bar Road, Marston, Lincolnshire where the crash took place
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PA
Mr Carter was seated in the front passenger seat whilst George sat directly behind him.
Both sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene, the court heard. Lonsdale escaped with only a minor wrist injury.
In the weeks and months that followed, Lonsdale was “partying repeatedly” and “choreographing TikToks” whilst the victims’ families were arranging funerals, the court was told.
She also took a skiing trip abroad, which resulted in her initial court appearance being postponed by a fortnight. The families described this behaviour as adding to their anguish during an already devastating period.
Madeleine Lonsdale has been locked up for the crash
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LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE
Sarah Carter, mother of Harrison, told the court her son had aspirations of becoming a lawyer. “Harry was taken from us because Madeleine chose to speed,” she said. “He will never be able to celebrate the amazing exam results that he achieved.”
Ms Carter added that it “adds insult to injury” Lonsdale was partying and creating social media content while she planned her son’s funeral.
Victoria Stephenson, George’s mother, spoke of the milestones her family would never witness, telling the court: “We will never see him graduate or find a job after university.
“We didn’t get to celebrate his 18th birthday with him, instead we had his funeral.”
Harrison Carter, 18, who was killed in the crash
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PA
George Stephenson, 17, who was killed in the crash
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PA
Mrs Stephenson said the skiing trip, which pushed back Lonsdale’s first court appearance by two weeks, “only added to the torment” for the grieving families.
Defence barrister John McNally told the court that his client understood nothing could ease the families’ suffering. “She knows it will weigh heavily on her for the rest of her life,” he said.
“Her regret for what happened is deep and her friends will remain, and are, in her thoughts.”
Lonsdale appeared visibly distressed in the dock during Friday’s hearing at Lincoln Crown Court.
In addition to her custodial sentence, she received a three-year driving disqualification.
