We'll never forgive him

A-level student Lindsay Sykes died instantly when Lee Steven Cawley ploughed into the taxi in which she was travelling.

Leeds Crown Court was told 25-year-old Cawley had drunk ten pints of strong lager at a Leeds pub before driving "recklessly and with no regard for the safety of others" and killing two young people.

He was driving at 88mph in a 30mph zone.

Cawley, who had no driving licence, insurance or MOT, and was driving a car he bought the day before for £45, was seen swerving, swaying and tail-gating along the A652 Bradford Road, Batley, going towards Bradford. And at times he drove on the wrong side of the road and ignored red lights, the court was told.

One of his passengers, father-of-two Lee Gabbidon, of Morley, who met Cawley that night for the first time, was killed when he was thrown from the car.

Sentencing Cawley, of Cottingley, Leeds, to eight years imprisonment to run concurrently for two counts of death by dangerous driving, Mr Justice Henriques said: "You are not a man of good character and already have two convictions for dishonesty.

"She (Lindsay) was a bright and lively girl with her whole life before her. Her family and friends have been shattered and traumatised."

Cawley was also banned from driving for ten years.

Outside court Lindsay's mum Christine Sykes, of Burns Court, Birstall, fought back the tears and was comforted by husband Christopher as she spoke about the sentencing.

"It's as much as he could have got for what he did, but nothing will bring our daughter back and nothing could be worse than what we're going through," she said.

"She was innocently travelling home from her part-time job as a barmaid at Soothill Working Men's Club and her life was taken from her."

A sixth-former at St John Fisher Catholic College in Dewsbury, Lindsay was planning to travel, go to university and become a journalist.

"She would have been doing her four A- levels this year and sister Joanne, 16, will be doing her GCSEs - we would have had a lot of success," said Mrs Sykes, a student counsellor at Thomas Danby College in Leeds.

"We will never forgive him for what he has done to our family and her friends.

"She was an unbelievably popular, intelligent and happy girl. Her friends have completely revamped Birstall graveyard where she was buried and this is proof of what a lovely girl she was."

Mitigating, Cawley's barrister Chris Batty said Cawley wrote letters for the grieving families saying how sorry he was and they were available for them at any time.

After the case, Mr Sykes, a financial adviser who has not been able to work since his daughter's death, said the family did not want any letters from Cawley.

"At this moment I wouldn't be able to read (the letter) and if he gave it to me I would tear it up.

"He's taken away our daughter and our only other daughter has lost her sister. He has left a massive hole in our family and I don't know how we'll get over it."

Initially Cawley denied driving the Audi 100, which he bought " as seen" the day before the incident, for £45 in Leeds.

After a lengthy investigation by forensic scientists, which proved he was the driver, he changed his plea to guilty.

Prosecuting, Andrew Dallas said the car was 16 years old, had 200,000 miles on the clock, had defective brakes and two worn out tyres "which were clearly visible with the naked eye".

The judge was told how Cawley was caught on CCTV cameras driving at 88 mph in a 30 mph zone.

He smashed into a Toyota Carina private hire taxi, in which Lindsay and her friend were travelling home, and knocked out the driver, sending the car spinning.

The Audi then began to spin on the wrong side of the road and collided with a Ford Mondeo before flipping into the air and spinning out of control.

The Toyota collided into a Nissan Micra, being driven by a doctor, before also hitting the Ford Mondeo.