Father condemns sentence of speeding driver who killed three people

A man whose son was killed in a high-speed collision that also took the lives of two of his friends has called the sentence given to the driver "a joke".

Connor Page, 21, Lewis Soden, 24, and Reece Williams, 23, all died after the Ford Focus being driven by Jorja Colville crashed near Falkirk in July 2024.

Colville, 21, was jailed for three years and 10 months at the High Court in Stirling after she admitted causing the men's deaths by dangerous driving.

Connor Page's father Kevin told BBC Scotland News that he had "lost everything" and the sentence was an insult to the families.

Speaking after the sentencing, Kevin said: "What a joke, three years and 10 months, she could be out by Connor's second anniversary.

"When you break it down, that's six-and-a-half months per son. My son is worth more than six-and-a-half months."

He told BBC Scotland News he intended to appeal the sentence.

Kevin earlier said he "cries every day" and said Colville's actions "as good as killed" his heartbroken wife Jill, who died after her health deteriorated last August.

He added: "It was hard for us, to try to deal with it, that we'd lost our son so far from home.

"What those boys went through in that space of 15 minutes, of chaos really, is beyond me.

"And I do wake up at night wondering what Connor went through."

Kevin and Jill were in bed at about 01:20 when the police knocked on their door.

Kevin added: "He said (Connor) had been in a traffic accident in Scotland and due to his injuries, he's passed away.

"I just went numb.

"So I had to break the news to (Jill) sat on the bed. I said 'Connor's gone'."

Judge Lady Ross said Colville's driving had been "senseless, reckless and obviously dangerous".

The High Court in Edinburgh previously heard that Colville, from Stirling, crashed the car after driving around a bend at more than 85mph.

Speaking from his home in Brecon, in Powys, mid-Wales, Kevin Page said he also blamed Colville for the loss of his wife "because of the loss of her son."

"What she's done to us has destroyed us," he said.

"I can guarantee if my son was still with us, Jill would still be with us.

"Life is hell now, you wake up in the night, you can hear a pin drop.

"You get up in the morning, the house is empty.

"You see Connor's bed where he left it, nobody has ever slept in it since."

Connor had recently qualified as an HGV driver and was on a visit to Scotland with his friend Lewis to visit fellow online gamer Reece Williams, whose girlfriend was Colville.

They booked into their hotel, and then Colville picked up the men in her car.

Kevin says he thinks the plan was to go out for the evening for a meal and possibly bowling.

But they never reached their destination.

The court was told a witness saw Colville's white Ford Focus pull away at speed after overtaking her.

Following a series of bends in the road, the witness noticed debris on the roadway and then saw the Focus in bushes.

The car was on its side, badly damaged, and Colville was covered in blood and screaming for help.

When police arrived Colville confirmed she was the driver and said Reece Williams was in the car along with her friends.

Reece had sustained blunt-force injuries to his head, chest, abdomen and limbs in the crash.

Lewis Soden suffered multiple injuries to his head, neck, chest abdomen and pelvis and Connor died from multiple blunt-force head and neck injuries.

Kevin said the aftermath of the fatal crash, which included a post-mortem, was a further ordeal.

He said: "It was hard for us, to try and deal with it, that we'd lost our son so far from home.

"And it's the same for him, to die so far from home and never seeing us again.

"Two weeks I think we had to wait, he was stuck up there for two weeks."

Sentencing, Judge Lady Ross described the three victims as "young men of real character" who were "already showing determination and ambition" early in their careers, and were "loved and cherished".

The judge told Colville: "For reasons that defy any understanding, you were driving at a speed that was far too fast for the road, and well in excess of the speed limit.

"You lost control and result was catastrophic.

"Three other drivers witnessed this appallingly dangerous driving and the aftermath."

Lady Ross said that no sentence she could impose would come "anywhere close to matching the sense of loss experienced by those who are bereaved".

She added: "The value of a human life is immeasurable and can in no way be reflected in the length of a sentence."

Colville was also banned from driving for six years and 11 months.

In a statement released through Digby Brown Solicitors, Reece Williams's mother Tracy said: "If I close my eyes I can see Reece as a little boy laughing and helping his granddad build a summer house.

"He was adored by his little sister and shared a special bond with his cousins and aunts. I am so proud of the kind, generous and hardworking man he became.

"We have been blessed with these memories but are devastated there will be no more."

Following Colville's sentencing, Insp David Marr said: "Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the men who died in this tragic incident.

"I hope this conviction and sentencing will bring some form of justice as they continue to come to terms with what happened.

"Colville's reckless actions cut short the lives of three young men.

"It's a stark reminder of the responsibility every driver has when they get behind the wheel and how driving dangerously can have devastating consequences."