‘My daughter, 10, was killed by a drug driver – this new scheme is a …
A Kent mum whose daughter was hilled by a driver high on cocaine has spoken of her fury at new scheme for convicted drug driver. Nicola Waters' daughter Lily, 10, died after being hit by a car a she crossed a road in Dartford.[1]
The driver - Gavin Prodger, 50, from Rochester - was high on cocaine when he hit the schoolgirl. He had consumed the class A drug before he got behind the wheel of his Audi in July 2021.
His car struck the 10-year-old at 47mph in a 30mph zone - Watling Street - around 6.50pm as she crossed the road to meet her friends in the local park. CCTV footage showed that Lily had carefully checked the roads were clear before the collision.
Lily was taken to hospital where she later died. Now her mum Nicola says she is furious to learn drug-drivers could be able to go on a publicly funded educational course that may even earn them a lower insurance premium when they are allowed to drive again.
Nicola told The Mirror[4]: “It’s a joke. It makes me very angry. It feels like a let-off. It’s another example of those in the wrong being rewarded and victims being forgotten. We feel like we’re serving a life sentence for what he did.
“Yet people convicted of drug-driving could be given a course to make them feel better about what they did. Anybody who gets in a car under the influence knows what they are doing. Why do they need a course like this?”
In court last month Prodger was given 12 years in prison. The taxi driver admitted causing death by careless driving while over the limit for cocaine and benzoylecgonine, and possession of cocaine. He must serve a minimum eight years of his 12-year sentence and was banned from driving until 2040.
Gavin Prodger will serve at least eight years behind bars (Image: Kent Police)
The course for drug-drivers, similar to those for drink-drivers, starts a pilot run next year in Teesside. It will signpost offenders to services that aid recovery from drug-taking habits. And a deal with insurers could mean a reduction on any future premium.
Nicola, of Dartford, added: “Will the people behind this be speaking to the victims for their thoughts? There should be harsher penalties, not courses. It sends out totally the wrong message.”
Former Met detective Peter Bleksley said: “I can’t see huge benefits. More needs to be done to focus on the impact of the crime rather than offer essentially rewards for a course.”
Tory MP Nigel Mills said: “It has probably come from well-meaning people but I can’t see why this is needed. It sounds like a gimmick.” Promoting the scheme, Chief Superintendent Paul Waugh, of Cleveland Police, said it “will help divert people away from drugs”.
References
- ^ died after being hit by a car a she crossed a road in Dartford. (www.kentlive.news)
- ^ Former Kent Police hate crime officer avoids sack over racist remarks (www.kentlive.news)
- ^ 'Tribute to 'kind and wonderful' friends who died in Channel mass drowning (www.kentlive.news)
- ^ The Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)