Parents of Derbyshire teenage girl killed by drunk driver hope case will educate others
17-year-old Phoebe Johnson died in the crash near Derby in October 2021
Last updated 25th Jan 2023
The family of a Derbyshire girl who died after getting into the car with a drunk driver want dashcam footage of the incident to be played to teenagers across the country.
Paul and Nicky Johnson's 17-year-old daughter Phoebe was killed when a car being driven by her friend crashed on the A514 near Derby in October 2021.
They are hoping the case will be talked about in schools, to educate young people about the risks of drink driving.
Phoebe's dad Paul explained what can be heard in the video: "When they first got into the car, the cousin of the defendant, sat in the front, and said to the defendant, 'are you okay to drive?'
"And she said 'no', meaning she was drunk, and she said, 'are our lives in danger?', she said, 'no you'll be alright.'
"Near towards the end of the incident, you could hear Phoebe saying she's scared, 'when I tell you to hold on, hold on.'"
Paul and Nicky Johnson also said they felt left down by the Court Justice System throughout the court case.
They say they had to ask for updates from local news reporters and the police after court dates for Melissa Keilloh was changed.
The 20 year-old admitted causing the death of 17-year-old Phoebe Johnson by careless driving in October 2021 near Derby.
She was jailed for three years.
Nicky Johnson said:
"It felt like we didn't matter, we weren't important, Phoebe wasn't important... Just another case."
Melissa Keilloh's sentencing took place almost three months later than originally planned, and Mr and Mrs Johnson claimed they were never contacted by a court or victim support service about the case, a situation they described as a "shambles".
Nicky Johnson said it was difficult to see Melissa's family carrying on life as normal with the delays:
"They just didn't look like a family that was going through a court case, where there was a good chance that their daughter would end up in prison. You just would not have thought that they were going through that, the way that they were celebrating different occasions, trips out... I was just amazed that they didn't look like a family that was going through any sort of process or trauma."
Nicky said the Criminal Justice System need to put something in place to keep families updated:
"Even if it's just an email, or a phone call, to update families and friends of what the situation is, what's happening next, what to expect."
In response to Nicky and Paul Johnson's comments, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson said:
“Our thoughts remain with Phoebe Johnson’s family and friends.
“We are committed to improving support for victims. Our Victims’ Bill will improve support for victims at every stage of the process and place greater accountability on criminal justice agencies for the service they provide to them.
"We are also quadrupling funding for vital support services to ensure victims can always access the help they need.”