Mum's anger at possible release of daughter's killer

The mother of a 17-year-old girl who died in a car crash said she is devastated to learn her boyfriend and driver of the car could be freed from jail, released under the government's early release scheme.

Lily-May Vaughan, 17, from Kidderminster, was the passenger in a car driven by Logan Addison, 20, when it came off the road near Shawbury Heath in Shropshire in February 2023.

He was jailed for five and a half years in June last year for causing death by dangerous driving.

Lily-May's mother, Leanne Vaughan, said it took 28 months to get him behind bars and she had now written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham asking to meet to discuss the release scheme.

The government is set to release around 5,000 offenders from October as part of new laws to create more space in overcrowded prisons.

It has led to a backlash from families, and earlier this week the chief inspector of probation for England and Wales said it could lead to "a serious sexual or violent offence or even murder" because of the demands on probation staff to monitor offenders.

During Addison's trial, jurors heard his girlfriend died at the scene after the car hit an electricity pole and flipped on to its roof.

An eyewitness said she had seen his car pass in a "flash of a blur".

Addison, who was 17 at the time, was said to have been travelling at more than the 60mph (96kph) speed limit on a country lane.

Vaughan said her life changed the day her daughter died, leaving the family devastated.

"It's an indescribable pain," she said.

"What hurts the most now is that it's just a constant battle for justice.

"I thought losing my daughter was the worst thing that could possibly happen, which it is. But it just seem that the criminal justice system is just really traumatic for victims."

She said a victim liaison officer contacted her to say that under the Sentencing Act 2026 that he could be released early from the two and half years he was due to serve from his sentence, but had not been given any dates.

She said the government changes were due to come in on 2 September "which hurt even more", because it would have been her daughter's 21st birthday.

The changes have since been pushed back until October.

"I haven't had confirmation of everything, I just know that death by dangerous driving isn't something that's going to be excluded from this," she said.

Vaughan said she had contacted her MP, Mark Garnier, who was attempting to arrange meeting with the Justice Minister as well as West Mercia PCC, John Campion.

She said she wanted to speak out in the hope it would make the Prime Minister listen to her, although she felt ignored.

"If somebody, a 17-year-old innocent girl, with her whole life ahead of her loses her life, I can't understand why that's not serious."

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