Death-crash driver was banned for life

A man who killed a six-year-old girl on New Year's Eve when he crashed a stolen car into her family's vehicle was already under a lifetime motoring ban and had a previous conviction for causing death by dangerous driving, a court was told yesterday.

Ian Carr, 27, pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to killing Rebecca Sawyer and seriously injuring her 18-month-old sister, Kirsty, in the collision at Ashington, Northumberland.

The case had only expected to be a preliminary hearing before a full trial, but Carr, from Ashington, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and five other related charges. Judge David Hodson adjourned sentence until 31 January and told Carr: "For offences of this nature, there can be just one sentence, and that is a substantial term of imprisonment."

Carr has 89 convictions for motoring and other offences and has been sentenced more than 25 times.

In 1990, aged 15, he was driving a stolen car which crashed at 90mph in Ashington. A friend, Mark Wren, 16, died after being flung from the car by the crash. Carr fled the scene and asked friends to say Mr Wren was the driver. He was convicted of causing death by reckless driving, given 12 months youth custody and banned for five years.

In 1998 Carr was convicted of burglary and theft, obtaining property by deception, handling stolen goods and driving while disqualified. He was sentenced to six years and nine months but was released on license in October last year. The maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is 10 years but Carr faces having the remaining period of his previous sentence added on.

Carr was driving a Vauxhall Astra which had been stolen a week earlier in Co Durham and was with a group who police said had been drinking heavily.

He fled the scene but was arrested two days later.