New driver jailed after two killed in high-speed crash

A woman has been jailed for killing two people in a high-speed crash weeks after passing her driving test.

Madeleine Lonsdale's passengers, Harrison Carter, 18, and George Stephenson, 17, died when the car they were travelling in hit a tree in Marston, Lincolnshire, on 20 June 2025, with evidence showing she was driving too fast around a bend.

Lonsdale, 18, who had passed her driving test in March, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving at a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates' Court in January.

On Friday, at Lincoln Crown Court, she was sentenced to 14 months in a young offender institution and banned from driving for three years.

Prosecutor Steve Taylor said Lonsdale was being followed by a friend prior to the crash.

Lonsdale admitted they were "effectively racing" on the A1, reaching speeds of up to 100mph (161km/h) before the crash.

Data showed Lonsdale's car was travelling at 76mph (122km/h) five seconds before the collision and 64mph (103km/h) when it hit the tree on Toll Bar Road, the court heard.

Taylor said Lonsdale failed to notice a sign warning of the bend before her car left the road and hit a tree. The other car managed to stop, he added.

Both Harrison and George, who had spent the day celebrating completing their A-levels, died at the scene.

Police crash investigator Godfrey Barlow concluded excessive speed was a factor in the crash along with the inexperience of the driver.

The court heard Lonsdale, of Squires View, Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, had no previous convictions and admitted her guilt at her first court appearance.

Taylor said both victims' families "wanted it to be known" that some of their initial empathy for Lonsdale had been diluted by "insensitive" social media posts of her holidaying and enjoying her life in the months after the crash.

John McNally, mitigating, argued social media posts could be inaccurate and "there is no text book how to react".

The barrister said Lonsdale acknowledged that no sentence the court could pass, or apology from her, would ever be enough.

Passing sentence, Recorder Jacob Hallam KC said the boys' deaths had utterly devastated their families.

He said: "Harrison Carter and George Stephenson were generous, warm-hearted and academically capable boys who enriched the lives of those around them."

Harry's mother, Sarah Carter, told the court: "Anything I write will be an understatement of the depth of pain."

She said Harry had wanted to pursue a career in law and added that he was "a visionary who believed the world could be kinder".

George's mother, Victoria Stephenson, also read out a statement, in which she described how the family were unable to celebrate his 18th birthday.

"Life since then has been like living in a parallel universe, because how can life go on?" she said.