Death driver lied to save her skin

By Chris Summers
BBC News

A woman has been jailed for nine years for killing four children when she crashed a stolen car while high on drugs.

THE VICTIMS Lee Gray, 16 Kezia Adger, 16 Kalli Goyette, four Karis Goyette, eight (pictured) Killer mother sent to jail

Davina Smith not only caused the death of two of her daughters but also killed two teenage family friends when she crashed a stolen car after taking drugs.

But to compound matters she then gave police a written statement in which she sought to blame the entire incident on one of the dead children.

She claimed Lee Gray, 16, who had only jumped in the car on a whim at the last moment, had been driving when it crashed on the evening of 31 January 2006.

But later, when faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary, she admitted she had been lying.

Head bowed

Sentencing Smith, Judge Radford said it was a "terrible and wicked lie to blame the accident on the teenager".

He said no prison sentence could "cure the anguish" of the bereaved families and he hoped the seriousness of the sentence would send out a message to those who might consider driving while under the influence of drugs.

Smith sat through most of her trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court with her head bowed.

Davina Smith showed no remorse, say police

She admitted aggravated vehicle taking but insisted she was innocent of four counts of causing death by careless driving while being unfit through drugs. But in December, a jury found her guilty on all four counts.

Prosecutor Martyn Levett told the jury a white Ford Fiesta had been stolen in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, and the following day Smith was driving it along the A126 in Tilbury.

She failed to notice a line of slow traffic in the run-up to a roundabout, swerved at the last minute and ploughed into a Vauxhall Corsa coming in the opposite direction.

None of the children in the car had been wearing seatbelts and all were thrown out of the vehicle, suffering fatal injuries.

Everywhere I went, people were sniping, saying 'Your brother killed three people' Lee Gray's elder brother, Johnny

Smith's daughters, eight-year-old Karis, and Kalli, four, were pronounced dead at Basildon Hospital.

The crash also claimed the lives of a family friend, 16-year-old Kezia Adger.

During the trial it emerged Smith, who had three daughters, frequently left her children alone as she went looking for drugs, buying amphetamines - or "speed" - and staying up until the early hours.

On the morning of the crash she was spotted on CCTV with a man called Denver Clift at 0415 GMT.

Driving claim

Mr Levett said insomnia was a side effect of consuming amphetamines and he said it was clear she was not getting enough sleep.

Karis and Kalli's father, Jamie Goyette, told the trial Smith had taken amphetamines for years and often drove while under the influence of the drug.

Goyette, who was brought to court from prison, said Smith took speed almost every day.

The crash devastated local people

Firefighter Ryan Trig, who attended the crash scene, told the court Smith had said she "could not remember" who was driving the car.

But a few days later, aware of the consequences if she admitted being behind the wheel, she made a handwritten statement in which she claimed Lee was driving.

Traces of amphetamines and cannabis were later found in her blood.

Trauma counselling

Mr Levett asked the jury: "Were the lies told to protect herself by shifting blame to Lee Gray who, being dead, would not be able to answer back?"

News of the crash was broken to the children's friends at Gateway Community College and Lansdowne Primary School, and several children needed trauma counselling.

Kezia's older sister told the trial she had warned her not to get in the car.

Sade Adger, 19, said she saw Smith drive off very fast and added: "It swung round the corner... it was an inappropriate way to drive with your kids in the car."

Her situation must be a lesson to any other person who drives a motor vehicle, stolen or otherwise, whilst under the influence of intoxicants Ch Insp Tom Diment

Her mother, Diane Bailey, said outside court she was "disgusted" with the sentence.

She said of Smith: "She murdered four children, two of them her own, and has shown no remorse the whole time.

"The police have been brilliant but the justice system is wrong."

Lee Gray's older brother, Johnny, said his family had been through "hell on earth" with people thinking Lee had been the driver of the car.

He said: "Everywhere I went, people were sniping, saying 'Your brother killed three people'.

"People say life goes on but it's hard."

Chief Inspector Tom Diment, of Essex Police, offered his condolences to the victims' families.

He said Smith would "have to live with what she has done for the rest of her life".

He added: "Her situation must be a lesson to any other person who drives a motor vehicle, stolen or otherwise, whilst under the influence of intoxicants."