An out-of-control car was described as ‘absolutely flying’ along a dangerous country road before it crashed into a wall and killed a teenage passenger. 

Craig Graham was driving a silver Ford Fiesta before it collided with a wall on Potterhouse Lane, in Pity Me, near Durham, at about 6.20pm on August 28, last year.

Georgia Duncan, 18, of Tantobie, near Stanley, was a rear seat passenger and fatally injured by the crash.

The defendant was 18 at the time of the fatal collision but is now aged 19. He admitted responsibility for causing the death of Ms Duncan and serious injuries suffered by two others riding in a car he was driving. Despite the attentions of emergency services, she died at the scene.

A hearing at Durham Crown Court on Friday heard Graham lost control of the car as he drove it at high speed over a blind summit.

Dashcam audio captured passenger Philip Morton encouraging Graham to ‘get some air’ while driving along Potterhouse Lane, to which the teenager replied, ‘don’t be a d*ck I don’t jump cars’. The passenger later said, ‘fly me mother*cker’. Graham lost control of the car and crashed into a wall just seconds later.

The Northern Echo: “Georgia was a beautiful young woman and a very special daughter, her family said“Georgia was a beautiful young woman and a very special daughter, her family said (Image: The Northern Echo)

Addressing the court, Vincent Ward prosecuting said: “All four wheels of the car had left the road. Then, as the car regained contact with the tarmac, the defendant was unable to prevent it from colliding with a stone wall.”

One witness who spoke to police after the incident said the car was ‘absolutely flying’ and it ‘just took off’. A passer-by who rushed to the damaged car found both Ms Duncan and another passenger unconscious. Mr Ward added: “It was apparent to her that Georgia Duncan had already passed away.”

Read more: Tributes paid to teenage girl who died

A pathologist’s report concluded Ms Duncan’s injuries would have led to “almost immediate unconsciousness and death. she would have known nothing of the collision”. The two other passengers were both badly injured and had sustained periods of hospitalisation, with the court hearing their lives have been irrevocably changed by their injuries.

A moving emotional tribute from Tracey Duncan, Georgia’s mother, said: “Georgia was a beautiful young woman and a very special daughter. She was the centre of our world and the most precious part of our lives.”

In a victim impact statement, one of the passengers, added: “If Craig had driven sensibly that day I wouldn’t have lost my friend and I wouldn’t have all the issues I’ve had. I hope that Craig realises what he has done and learns a big lesson.”

Defending, Richard Herrmann said Graham, of Welford Road, Consett, is remorseful for causing Ms Duncan’s death and the he is a ‘respectable young man’.

Sentencing, Judge Adkin said: “Both he and you knew the road you turned onto undulated and what might happen if you drove at speed. You made a decision after further encouragement to try and make the car lift off the ground. That it did, and that decision you made, have dreadful consequences for everyone in that vehicle.

“Georgia Duncan died at the scene; she was 18 years of age. She was a lovely, kind-hearted young woman with the whole of her life ahead of her. Statements from her parents which describe their loss and sorrow are profoundly moving, and Mr and Mrs Duncan have my sincere condolences.”

Graham was sentenced to four years and 10 months and will be released on license after serving half of his time in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for five years.

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