A young drunk driver killed her close friend after she was speeding when urged to slow down. Yasmin Martin was driving more than twice the speed limit and had drunk almost twice the speed limit when the horrific crash occurred.
The 19-year-old, who was 17 at the time, had decided to drive three friends home from a night out in a car she had never driven before that day. A court heard how Martin reacted angrily when Mia Marsh and another girl begged her to slow down.
She lost control on a bend while driving at more than 70 mph in a 30 mph zone. Martin rammed the car into a barrier, killing 17-year-old Mia, Chronicle Live reports.
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Martin had known Mia since they were young, Newcastle Crown Court heard. One of the passengers said Martin seemed intent on proving she could drive in a dangerous manner and that it was ‘like she was invincible, like she could do whatever she wanted and no one would stop her’.
As Martin, of Aldwych Road, Sunderland, was sentenced to eight years in prison, Mia’s family turned out for Newcastle Crown Court wearing T-shirts bearing a picture of the tragic teenager. Her mother, Danielle, felt unable to attend the hearing but a victim impact statement from her was read out to the court describing her devastating loss.
She said she felt “stuck in a nightmare that she can’t wake up from,” adding: “The pain we are going through as a family is unimaginable.” She said they sometimes imagine Mia is simply gone, “but then reality hits home.”
Danielle said: “We want her here and now. We don’t want her as a memory. We still think that one day she will bounce through the door again, singing and happy as she was.
“We miss Mia so much, our hearts are forever broken. Mia was only 17 when she was tragically taken from us. She had her whole life to look forward to. You never know what it feels like to lose a child or a sister until it happens to you.”
She added: “Due to her injuries, no one was allowed to identify her and she had to have a closed casket. This made me question whether it was really Mia and whether it was a terrible mistake… We will love Mia unconditionally until we see each other again, little girl. Love you so much, my Mia.”
Martin, who had obtained her driving licence in May 2022, was driving a Vauxhall Astra that her father had rented that day. She had no experience with it until that evening, Friday 2 December 2022, and was not insured for it.
Martin, who considered Mia her best friend after knowing her since nursery school, picked her and two other friends up and they went drinking in six bars across Sunderland, where they all drank pints of Strongbow dark fruit, Jagerbombs, vodka and Red Bulls.
An employee at one of the bars, when Martin told her that her car was parked nearby, said “well I hope you’re not driving” because it was clear to him that she was in no condition to drive due to her intoxication. She said she was not driving and ordered a drink.
At 12.47pm Martin walked to the car but was prevented from getting into the driver’s seat and told to get into the back. Mia drove off. After stopping for petrol Martin took over driving after becoming ‘sick’ about Mia driving.
The other two girls said Martin was speeding. None of them were wearing seat belts and one of the girls told the others to put them on because of the way Martin was driving.
Mia and one of the other girls shouted at Martin to slow down, but she ignored their requests and instead increased her speed, appearing to become angry when told to slow down. One of the girls said she sped up and seemed to have the attitude that she could “prove that she could drive like that” and “like she didn’t care”, “like she was invincible, like she could do whatever she wanted and nobody was going to stop her”.
The collision occurred as she was travelling west on the A1231 between Spire Bridge and Queen Alexander Bridge. She failed to negotiate a left hand bend, the car understeered and ended up on the wrong side of the road, hitting a guard rail, bouncing back and landing 180 metres away.
Mia’s family requested CCTV of the collision to be played in court, which was done. A photo of the state of the car afterwards was also shown. Mia died as a result of a serious head injury sustained when the car hit the guardrail.
CCTV showed the Astra was travelling at between 64 and 67mph at 500 metres from the impact and between 75mph and 80mph when it left the westbound carriageway and crossed the central reservation. The speed limit was 30mph.
Investigations showed that the crash was caused by Martin driving excessively fast while under the influence of alcohol. She had drunk almost twice the legal limit.
After her arrest, she claimed an “old man” had spiked her drink, but a series of CCTV footage from bars she visited proved this to be a lie. Martin pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to eight years in prison, two-thirds of which she must serve in custody. She will be banned from driving for five years after her release from prison.
Judge Christopher Prince said Martin had told the author of a pre-sentencing report that the other girls got into the car knowing she had been drinking. But he said: “They didn’t know you would drive the way you did. They expected you to look after them properly.”
Matthew Bean, defending, said: “Yasmin Martin accepts full responsibility for what happened that day. Mia Marsh was her best friend at the time and she will have to live with the fact that she caused her death.
“There is genuine remorse for what she has done. She regrets her decision and will have to live with her decision for the rest of her life and the fact that she has caused Mia’s family pain and suffering.”
Mr Bean said Martin has an 11-month-old daughter for whom she is the sole carer and who is now being cared for by her grandmother while Martin is in prison. He added: “She wishes she could turn back the clock and right the wrongs she has caused.”