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| Life sentence for banned driver | Life sentence for banned driver |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A banned driver who did not call 999 when his girlfriend was fatally hurt in a crash has been jailed for life for her manslaughter. | A banned driver who did not call 999 when his girlfriend was fatally hurt in a crash has been jailed for life for her manslaughter. |
| Kirsty Cash, 17, died after Andrew Bennett, 20, crashed a Subaru Impreza on the outskirts of Sheffield in April. | |
| Sheffield Crown Court heard Miss Cash might have lived, but Bennett failed to call an ambulance for 45 minutes. | |
| His mother and two friends were sentenced to six months for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. | His mother and two friends were sentenced to six months for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. |
| 'High on drugs' | |
| The court heard Bennett had a prolific criminal record, was high on drink and drugs at the time of the crash and was driving at speeds reaching 90 miles an hour. | |
| The Subaru left the road, collided with a series of trees and then turned on its side and then Kirsty Cash was thrown through the windscreen. | |
| Kirsty was taken to Bennett's Sheffield home before an ambulance was called. | |
| The delay probably led to her death, Sheffield Crown Court heard. | |
| When you found Kirsty seriously injured, you had no thought for anyone but yourself Judge Alan Goldsack QC | |
| Bennett, from High Matlock Road, Sheffield, admitted manslaughter, perverting the course of justice and driving while disqualified. | |
| He must spend four and a half years in jail before he can be considered for parole. | |
| Bennett's mother Linda Bennett, 48, her partner Robin Scholes, 39, and a friend Steven Scott, 19, all admitted a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. | |
| Risk to others | |
| The Recorder of Sheffield Judge Alan Goldsack QC told Bennett: "When you found Kirsty seriously injured, you had no thought for anyone but yourself. You were determined to evade detection." | |
| The judge said there was a good chance his girlfriend would have survived if he had sought medical help immediately. | |
| He said Bennett posed a risk to the public and an indeterminate life sentence at a young offenders' institution was the right course of action. | |
| He added: "In my judgment there is a significant risk that, without proper safeguards, you will again be tempted to drive a car. | |
| "If a police car came up behind you, you would put your foot down to try and evade detection, with further serious consequences." |