Drink driver told she has ‘ripped our family apart' after causing death of 20

Chelsea Standage, 21, of Barden Road, Wakefield, was sentenced yesterday (Thursday) to eight years and eight months in prison for causing the death of Elliott Lemm, 20, by dangerous driving. She also pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in relation to two other passengers in the vehicle.

Elliott’s mum said that Standage’s actions had “absolutely ripped my family apart”, while one of the passengers who suffered a broken neck said he was in “constant pain” had “awful flashbacks”.

The collision happened on Wakefield Road, Horbury, in the early hours of Saturday, November 13, 2021. Standage – who was over twice the drink driving limit and also found to have traces of cocaine and cannabis in her system – lost control of her Vauxhall Corsa on a bend, colliding with a wall and a parked vehicle.

The court heard that during the course of the evening Standage had been warned on numerous occasions by the other occupants to slow down, as she travelled at speeds of 80mph in 50mph zones and on the wrong side of the road. At one point she told another occupant of the vehicle to “f*** off” as they urged her to watch her speed.

Footage of her reckless driving, the crash that caused the death of Elliott and shocking pictures of the aftermath were provided by West Yorkshire Police in the video above.

Statements were read out in court from the mother and grandmother of Elliott, as well as from the two survivors of the crash – a female friend of Standage’s and a male.

Reading her statement out in court, Elliott’s mother Samantha said: “I will never forget the night the police came to my home to tell me that my boy had died and screaming ‘he’s gone’ over and over.”

Mrs Lemm said that when she went to identify the body she was “begging and pleading with him to open his eyes”.

She said: "The day that I had to close the lid on his coffin and put Elliott into the dark I knew that it was forever and I would only see him in photographs.

“The person responsible for Elliott’s death has absolutely ripped my family apart. I wonder if the person responsible will think of Elliott.”

She said that the last thing that Elliott had said to her was “I love you”.

"There was still so much for him to do and so much I wanted to say to him”, she said. "Elliot was taken so suddenly there was still so much for him to do and so much I wanted to say to him. Every morning when I wake up my heart is broken.“

Elliott’s Grandmother also provided a statement saying that her health had deteriorated since the night of the crash, adding: “The only way I can describe it as that I simply find no joy in anything.

"I can’t get out of my head that I never got to the chance to dance with Elliott.

"Without Elliott I feel that things will never be the same. There will always be a piece of the jigsaw missing.”

In his victim impact statement, the male said that he suffered a broken neck as a result of the crash.

He said that he and Elliott had known each other since they were three years old and he had lost his “best mate”. He said that he had “talked” Elliott into joining them on the night, adding: “I think about it all the time. I remember my hands being covered in blood.”

He said he went through a “horrendous procedure to stabilise my neck” and had to “wear a cage that started at my chest area”.

He said he was in “constant pain” and suffered “awful flashbacks”. He said: “I still wake up screaming and dripping in sweat.”

The female victim suffered a broken ankle and “severe bruising and swelling”. She spent 45 days in hospital and was fitted with a metal plate and screws. She said she had suffered “significant psychological effects” and was “not the same person as before the crash”, saying that she still “bursts in to tears at random times”.

The court heard that Standage had drank a double vodka and Red Bull, a pint of cider and had two Jägerbombs during the course of the evening.

Standage and her female friend had met first for drinks in Wakefield before picking up Elliott and the male and driving to a pub. They then left to drive to the female’s house.

Elliott was in the front seat at the time of the crash and the court heard that at one point he sent a message to a friend saying that they were travelling at 80mph.

Standage’s lawyer told the court that she had accepted responsibility for what she had done and had displayed “real and genuine remorse”. He said: “She feels the impact acutely.

"At no point does she seek pity for herself. She doesn’t seek to blame others.

"There is trepidation and fear over her sentence but she will accept it without complaint.”

Sentencing Standage yesterday, The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl KC told her: “The devastation caused to the family of Elliott Lemm cannot be overstated. Their lives will never be the same. Their loss can never be replaced and their joy has gone.

"This was a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road and you readily disregarded the safety of others and the danger caused to them.

“Your dangerous driving was both prolonged and persistent.”

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Drink driver told she has ‘ripped our family apart' after causing death of 20