A mum whose daughter was killed by a dangerous driver says she’s ‘hugely relieved’ that her killer won’t be released early from jail, but ‘angry’ that it was even a possibility.
It has been a difficult few weeks for the family of Amy Cooper as they feared her killer would be let out three years into an eight-year and three month sentence.
Shane Kelk left the 20-year-old from Whaplode Drove to die in the road after crashing into her motorbike attempting an overtake in thick fog on November 13, 2022.
At the time of the collision Kelk was still on licence following a jail sentence of six years and nine months imprisonment passed in 2017 for his involvement at an armed incident in Long Sutton.
He also admitted being disqualified from driving on the day of the collision, being disqualified when he caused Amy’s death, having no insurance, failing to provide his details at the scene and possessing a small amount of cannabis on his arrest.
Amy’s mum Amanda Cooper has subsequently found out that probation services knew Kelk was not complying with his terms of being out on licence but had not recalled him.
He was jailed for causing Amy’s death in 2023, but the government had announced it was set to release thousands of criminals early due to the stretched capacity of the prison service.
Prime Minister Andy Brunham had said those accused of the most serious crimes, such as murders would not be considered for early release.
But victims who lost loved ones like Amy through dangerous driving or manslaughter were left fearing criminals convicted of those offences would be released early.
Amanda was among those petitioning for that not to happen.
And on Sunday (August 30) the government made an announcement that it would also not release those convicted of ‘unlawful killing and historic sex offences’.
The release from central government specifically mentions death by dangerous driving as one of the offences that wouldn’t be eligible for early release.
“I had to read it a couple of times as well as listen to the interview with Andy Burnham before I would let myself believe it,” said Amanda. “Of course we are hugely relieved, but angry too at being put through all that uncertainty and fear.
“It is so unfair doing that to people who are already traumatised.
“Many dangerous drivers are repeat offenders who have no respect for driving bans or regulations.
“There is a very high chance will reoffend and put members of the public at risk.
“The probation service is already struggling as we know to our cost from the report they carried out into the circumstances surrounding Amy’s death.
“Amy’s killer was on licence and probation officers failed to stop him driving even though they knew he was driving while disqualified.
“This reflects their failure to take driving offences seriously and their lack of manpower.
“We had serious concerns as to how they would handle assessments on the huge scale they would have been required to do by the early release scheme.”
Amanda says the news follows a month of ‘high emotions’ as she and Amy’s sister Sam have been at the centre of Lincolnshire Police’s #AfterAmy encouraging motorists in Lincolnshire to think about their driving habits.
“I am really pleased that it resonated with so many people and desperately hope it makes people think more about the way they drive. It’s not just about persistent offenders, we all have a part to play in keeping our roads safe.
“I am glad we took part in the campaign but it has been emotionally draining to keep seeing Amy’s face coming up in the media over the month.
“Every time I still get that jolt of hurt knowing why we are doing it and that she’s not coming back.”
