Young driver sentenced

26 February 2010, 11:51 | Updated: 26 February 2010, 12:00

A driver, who killed his teenage passenger after a car chase near Basingstoke, has been sent to prison for causing death by dangerous driving.

Twenty one year old Stephen Hamlyn, from Chesterfield Road in Basingstoke, had just overtaken another car and is believed to have been chasing a third car in front of him, when he lost control on 18th January last year. His eighteen passenger, Kimberley Mason, died.

Stephen Hamlyn was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and disqualified from driving for the same period. He will have to pass an extended driving test and have an automatic ten points on his licence.

Sergeant Paul Plews from Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing unit led the investigation, “Our thoughts are with Kimberly’s family and friends. They will never recover from losing her, but today they’ve seen the man responsible for her death brought to justice."

Hamlyn’s sentence is a warning to other young motorists that dangerous driving will not be tolerated."
 
"The use of our roads is a privilege; by overtaking unnecessarily at a completely inappropriate location, Hamlyn showed total disregard for both his own safety and that of his passenger."
 
"As a result of his inexperience and lack of respect, at least two young lives were ruined. Both Kimberley and Stephen had a bright future ahead of them."
 
"Now, he will spend the next few years behind bars. But the knowledge that he alone is responsible for killing his friend will stay with him for the rest of his life."