This is Leicestershire --The grieving parents of a teenager killed by his friend in a car crash have hit out at his thoughtless actions afterwards and failure to apologise.
Ben Fairlie (16) died when the Renault Clio he was a passenger in crashed into a tree nearly two years ago.
Heartbroken Deborah and Stuart Fairlie say driver Louis Fleetwood (22) waited an agonising 21 months before pleading guilty to causing Ben's death by careless driving.
He admitted guilt on the day he was due to stand trial last month, after being told by a judge he would not immediately go to prison.
At his sentencing hearing yesterday, Leicester Crown Court was told how Ben's family were distressed by Fleetwood's insensitivity after the tragedy – including posting on Facebook how annoyed he was that his car insurance had increased.
Fleetwood, pictured, bragged on the social media site about splashing out £3,000 on tattoos, including a tyre mark print with the crashed car's registration number on his arm. He also turned up at their home, at the wheel of an even better vehicle, about a month after the death.
Mr and Mrs Fairlie, who have a 14-year-old daughter Ellie, were too distraught to work for several months and struggled to keep a roof over their heads.
Fleetwood, of Lacey Close, Lutterworth, received a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision, and 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was also banned from driving for three years.
Judge Simon Hammond also imposed a restraining order forbidding contact with Ben's family, or entering the road in Countesthorpe where they live.
In a victim impact statement read out by the prosecutor, Mrs Fairlie stated: "Louis Fleetwood, you affected our lives forever... at this time we don't think we will ever be able to forgive you for that.
"You strung us out over 21 months with your plea of not guilty, preventing us from grieving properly, making it impossible for us to move forward in any way.
"Unlike Ben's, your life carried on and so far we've seen no remorse for your actions and no apology. We beg you to stay away from us and get on with your life in a respectful manner, leaving us the grieve in the respect we deserve."
The family also issued a statement after the case, saying: "No amount of justice will ever replace what we've lost.
"Ben was very precious to us and his friends and will never be forgotten.
"Our loss is still raw and we've been unable to grieve properly due to this court case hanging over our heads.
"Ben, your flame will always burn strong in our hearts forever."
The judge was told that Fleetwood was assaulted by a youth after arriving at court, prior to the hearing, which Mr and Mrs Fairlie were unaware of and "would not have condoned under any circumstances."
Philip Gibbs, mitigating, said: "He (Fleetwood) is shattered by what happened.
"It's said the tattoos have been misunderstood and caused pain, but they were a tribute to his friend at a time when he didn't know if he could carry on with his life."
He said the delays were partly attributable to expert analysis "on the circumstances of this accident, as there were problems with the road."
He said: "The defendant was driving normally prior to the accident and made a momentary mistake on a bend.
"It will live with him for the rest of his life and he thinks of Ben every day. He blames himself. He want's Ben's family to forgive him and understands how much more their loss must be."
Fleetwood was said to be on medication for depression.
Mary Prior, prosecuting, said Fleetwood was driving Ben, in the front passenger seat, from South Wigston to Countesthorpe, at 8.15pm on September 10, 2011, when he failed to negotiate a moderate right bend on Countesthorpe Road, near Blaby.
The speed limit on the road is 60 mph. It was dark at the time of the accident and it had been raining.
Neither Ben nor Fleetwood were wearing seatbelts and both were thrown from the car.
Ben was found unconscious and later died.
Fleetwood, who cannot remember the incident, suffered injuries and, at that stage, Mr and Mrs Fairlie were forgiving and twice visited him in hospital. It was only later that things turned sour.
The bend had "slow" written on the road with a hazard warning sign after five crashes in the previous five years.
The road surface was found to be "slightly below" normal standard, but it did not cause the crash.
Mrs Prior said the cause was unclear, but Fleetwood may have been going too fast for the road conditions. No drugs or alcohol were involved.
Judge Hammond said: "These cases are some of the most difficult to deal with, it's every parent's nightmare. The lesson must go out that when you're in a car you wear a seatbelt." Reported by This is 3 days ago.