A 40-year-old driver, Dwayne Moody, has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison for killing a 13-year-old girl in a car crash and subsequently threatening her injured friends to provide a false account to the police. The incident occurred on January 31 near Ware, Hertfordshire.
Evelyn Haylock, 13, was a passenger in a Nissan Note driven by Moody, who was uninsured and lacked a valid license. He had consumed alcohol before taking the car from a party with three teenagers inside. Witnesses reported the vehicle being driven erratically and at high speed. Approximately one mile from the party, Moody lost control of the car on a corner, causing it to crash through a fence.
Following the crash, Evelyn sustained serious injuries, and the two other teenagers in the car began administering first aid and called for emergency services. While they were attempting to help Evelyn, Moody allegedly instructed them to claim that another vehicle had forced them off the road. He then left the scene before returning with the car's owner and confronting one of the teenagers, reiterating his demand that they lie to the police.
Moody was arrested at the scene and taken to the hospital as a precaution, later being discharged without injury before being taken into custody. Evelyn was airlifted to a hospital but died from her injuries on February 4. The other two teenagers were treated for minor soft tissue damage.
Detective Constable Lewis Stanley described the case as tragic, highlighting Moody's "reckless and selfish decisions." He noted that Moody attempted to evade responsibility by pressuring the other passengers, both teenagers, to lie while they were trying to save their friend. The other passengers endured a traumatic ordeal, and their actions were commended.
In a statement read in court, Evelyn's mother described her daughter as someone who "absolutely loved life" and had an "infectious energy" that was "pure light." She spoke of Evelyn's joy in jumping on her trampoline and lamented that her daughter "had so much life left to live" but her laughter has been "permanently silenced."
Evelyn's father added that she was the "light of all our worlds" and the "strongest link" in their family chain. He stated that while that link is now gone, the family holds onto her memory.
On Friday, Moody pleaded guilty to all charges at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 12 years and 8 months for causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while uninsured, and causing death while driving outside the terms of his license. He was also found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice and aggravated taking of a vehicle without consent. In addition to his prison sentence, Moody has been disqualified from driving for 17 years and four months.