Wrecked car goes on show in London to call for severer sentences for criminal drivers

A wrecked car, sliced into two in an horrific crash, was displayed outside the Houses of Parliament in London Monday as part of a national campaign for tougher sentences for criminal drivers.

Heartbroken parents, Dawn and Ian Brown-Lartey, lost their son Joseph, 25, when a speeding driver ran a red light at more than 128 km/h miles an hour, in Greater Manchester.

The car their son had been driving was put on public display for the first time, showing the public how it had been cut into two by the force of the crash.

The car was taken to the House of Commons with help from Greater Manchester Police who investigated the crash.

The charity Brake is calling on the British government to review guidelines for both charging and sentencing criminal drivers.

A spokesman for the charity said Monday: "This new campaign is being backed by a number of recently bereaved families who feel they have not had justice for their loved ones."

A survey to mark the launch of Brake's new "Roads to Justice" campaign shows there is huge support for strengthening sentences faced by criminal drivers.

A survey by Brake showed 91 percent of people questioned believed that if someone causes a fatal crash when they drive after drinking alcohol or taking drugs, they should be charged with manslaughter, which carries a maximum life sentence in prison.

Current charges mean guilty drivers face between six months in prison and 14 years, though Brake says sentences at the higher end of the range are rarely handed out.

Ian and Dawn Brown-Lartey, said in a joint statement: "We will never get over the loss of our beautiful son Joseph, who had his whole life ahead of him. Hearing that his killer will serve half of a six-year sentence was a further slap in the face to us and our family. The law needs to change so that sentences for causing death by dangerous driving reflect the crime."

"We can't bring Joseph back, but what we can do is campaign in his name to stop other families going through what we are. Joseph's car was split in two. The emergency services said it was the worst road crash they had ever seen. We want people to see that devastation first hand in the hope of educating young drivers but also to hit home with the government the importance of our campaign," the statement said.

Brake spokesman Gary Rae said: "There are too many families, like the Brown-Lartey's, who suffer the double trauma of losing a loved one in a sudden and violent way, and then witness the judicial system turning its back on them." Endit