Back campaign pleads friend of car death victim

5:48pm Sunday 4th February 2007

A FORMER Harlow College student seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident which claimed the life of her best friend is urging people to back a campaign set up by the parents of Natalie Glasgow.

Stephanie Taylor this week spoke about the affect the crash has had on her life, and how she wants to see hit-and-run drivers face prison for their actions.

Stephanie and Natalie were left for dead by a van driver who hit the girls as they walked home along Earls Path, Loughton, after a night out almost two years ago. Natalie, 17, died in hospital.

Stephanie, now 18, was in hospital for a month and is still affected by what happened.

But despite what he did the van driver received just 100 hours community service.

He was not charged with causing death by dangerous driving because there was no evidence of dangerous driving before he hit the girls, and he said drink and drugs in his system had been consumed after the collision.

Natalie's parents, Paul and Tracey, have launched the Lead the Way Natalie campaign which calls for a minimum five-year sentence for hit-and-run drivers, and a minimum ten-year term should the victim die.

Speaking this week, Stephanie - who has now resumed a hairdressing course which she started with Natalie after they both left Roding Valley High School, Loughton - said she had been "devastated" by the sentence handed out to the van driver.

She said: "No-one can really understand (the sentence). I don't see how someone could do that to us, leave us face down on the ground. We could have been dead. For him to get out of the van, look at us and then drive away, not even hand himself in or call for an ambulance and get 100 hours community service is ridiculous."

Speaking about the campaign, Natalie's father, Paul, said: "At the end of the day it's not just for us and for what happened to Natalie it's the fact that this happens to thousands of people every year right up and down the country.

"To back the campaign they're helping themselves.

"If, God forbid, it happened to a member of their family they would certainly be looking at it in a different light."

The campaign petition, which will be presented to the House of Commons, aims to collect one million signatures.

For a printable copy of the petition email djackman-@london.newsquest.co.uk. The family has also set up a website - www.leadthewaynatalie.co.uk.