Dead driver's parents display son's wrecked car outside Parliament in call for tougher dangerous driving sentences

The parents of a man killed in a car crash have displayed the wreckage in front of the Houses of Parliament as part of a campaign calling for stronger road sentences for criminal drivers.

Joseph Brown-Lartey died in 2014 aged 25, when his car was hit at high speed as he drove through Rochdale, splitting it in half.

The car was hit by Addil Haroon, then 18, who drove through a red light in a residential area at 80 mph, Greater Manchester Police said. He was later jailed for six years after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

Haroon, who had no licence and no insurance, had earlier taken a Snapchat photo of his speedometer while travelling at 142mph, with the words: “Leeds to Rochdale in 11 mins catch me”.

Mr Brown-Lartey’s parents described Haroon’s sentence as a “slap in the face” and hope that people seeing the devastation of their son’s car first hand will raise awareness about the importance of road safety.

“We will never get over the loss of our beautiful son Joseph, who had his whole life ahead of him,” said Ian and Dawn Brown-Lartey. “The law needs to change so that sentences for causing death by dangerous driving reflect the crime.”

“Joseph’s car was split in two. The emergency services said it was the worst road crash they had ever seen. We want people to see that devastation first hand in the hope of educating young drivers but also to hit home with the government the importance of our campaign.

“We can’t bring Joseph back, but what we can do is campaign in his name to stop other families going through what we are.”

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Mr Brown-Lartey’s parents are working in conjunction with road safety charity Brake, who launched their campaign ‘Roads to Justice’ on Monday, “calling on the government to immediately review guidelines for both charging and sentencing criminal drivers.”

A survey by Brake found that 91 per cent of people questioned agreed that if someone causes a fatal crash when they get behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs, they should be charged with manslaughter, which carries a possible life sentence.

Sixty-six per cent questioned thought drivers who kill should be jailed for a minimum of 10 years.

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A government petition launched by the charity on Friday states: “Five people die on our roads each day; often criminal killer drivers walk free from court. Four in 10 drivers who kill aren't jailed at all. Lenient sentences deeply offend families already torn apart by the devastation of losing a loved one. When a life is taken the punishment must reflect the crime.”

Gary Rae, director of communications and campaigns for Brake, said: “There are too many families, like the Brown-Lartey’s, who suffer the double trauma of losing a loved one in a sudden and violent way, and then witness the judicial system turning its back on them.

"That’s why we’re launching our Roads to Justice campaign, which calls on government to get tough on criminal drivers who kill or seriously injure others.”