LAWYERS have welcomed a decision by the Court of Appeal to uphold a six-year prison term on a man convicted after a death crash on the M1 in West Yorkshire.
Luke Small, 21, was convicted last July of three counts of causing death by careless driving while under the influence after a tragic crash on the M1 near Woolley Edge.
Lord Justice Rose, sitting at Leeds Crown Court decided that the six-year prison term given to Small was appropriate, though he reduced his driving disqualification from 10 to 7 years.
Small, of Shire Oaks Common, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, was under the influence of ecstasy and cannabis and was slightly over the legal drink-drive limit when he crashed into a Citroen AX as he drove on the M1 in the early hours of November 14, 2004.
Darren Medley, his sister Dawn Tobin and her partner Ian Croft all died after their car burst into flames. Andrea Medley, sister of Darren and Dawn, survived after being pulled from the wreckage, but suffered serious burns.
Malcolm Taylor, special casework prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service West Yorkshire, who dealt with the case and who appeared for the Crown, said: "Firstly, I wish to express our continuing sympathy to the families of the deceased and to the surviving victim, Andrea Medley, who suffered serious injuries.
"We are pleased that the Court of Appeal, having considered all the evidence, decided to uphold the judgement of his Honour Judge McGill to imprison the defendant for six years.
"This was a serious and distressing case and we feel the sentence reflects that."
