Posted on 2013-09-14 | 04:20

Roger has written to the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve QC to protest the lenient sentence handed down by Birmingham Crown Court to a lorry driver who was involved in the death of schoolgirl Hope Fennell.

Roger said: “This case has generated an enormous amount of anger in the Moseley and Kings Heath areas of my constituency. I cannot overstate the outrage that is felt in the community at what is perceived to be the ridiculously lenient sentence imposed on Darren Foster, who was convicted of dangerous driving and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

In November 2011 Hope Fennell, aged just 13, died on Kings Heath High Street as she crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing. She was trapped under the wheels of a truck driven by Darren Foster and died of her injuries. Police later discovered that Foster had climbed back into his cab as the schoolgirl lay dying and deleted at least 11 text messages which were sent from his phone in the 20 minutes before his vehicle hit the girl. Some of the text messages from Foster to a girlfriend were sent while he negotiated roundabouts in heavy traffic.

Although Foster pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice, he was sentenced to just two months for the dangerous driving charge and four months for perverting the course of justice. He was also told he would be released after serving only half his sentence.

Roger says: “I have asked the Attorney General to look at this again, because there is astonishment about the leniency of the sentence. There is concern that such a short sentence for attempting to pervert the course of justice sends out very much the wrong message to the wider public about the dangers and illegality of using hand-held phones and texting while driving a motor vehicle.”

You can read the full letter here.