Woman sentenced after fatal crash on A12
She's lost her driving licence for 3 years
Last updated 5th Jul 2021
A 24-year-old woman has been sentenced after a fatal road traffic collision at Frostenden.
Chelcie Lavery of High Street in Leiston was sentenced today (5 July) at Ipswich Crown Court to a 12 month community order with six months being on licence and is also subject to an overnight curfew. She was also disqualified from driving for three years and will have to sit an extended retest and she will have to pay £2000 in costs.
The three day trial of Lavery at Ipswich Crown Court concluded on Thursday 6 May 2021 when she was found guilty and the case was adjourned for sentencing today.
Officers were called to the scene of a two-vehicle collision on the A12 at Frostenden, near the junction with Gypsy Lane, at just after 6pm on Wednesday 17 October 2018. The vehicles involved were a blue Peugeot 206 car and an Isuzu D-max.
The Peugeot car, travelling southbound just after a bend in the road, crossed the central line into the opposing carriageway and collided with the Isuzu vehicle which was travelling in the opposite direction. The Peugeot left the carriageway and came to rest in a field.
The woman passenger in the Peugeot, Charlotte Oakes, aged 22 and from Westleton, sadly died at the scene.
Following a police investigation into the circumstances of the collision, the driver of the Peugeot, Chelcie Lavery was summonsed to appear at Ipswich Magistrates' Court on 2 July 2020 where she was charged with causing death by careless driving.
Following the trial on 6 May Charlotte's family asked police to issue the following tribute on their behalf:
"Charlotte was a much-loved member of the local community in which she had lived and worked her entire life. She was generous, hard-working and always fun to be around.
"As a family we miss her stories and her laughter. We feel her loss every day and in everything we do."
Sergeant Barry Abbott of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said:
"Our condolences and sympathies remain with the Oakes family. No sentence can ever make up for the loss of a loved one, taken so suddenly, Particularly at such a young age. Miss Lavery's conviction and today's sentencing is a tragic reminder of how quickly circumstances can change whilst driving. A driver must always endeavour to maintain the highest standards of driving whilst behind the wheel."