Richmond man jailed for causing death of 'beautiful' mum in crash near Ripon

A man has been jailed for causing death by dangerous driving after a 20-year-old woman was killed in a crash.

Naomi Buckle, from Catterick, in North Yorkshire, was a passenger in an Audi RS3, when it was involved in a collision near Ripon in December 2019.

The vehicle was being driven by Harry Elliott, from Richmond, who has now been jailed for causing death by dangerous driving.

Following the hearing, Ms Buckle's family said: “It has taken a long time to bring justice for our family. Naomi was a loving mum, daughter and sister, she is missed so much that words cannot describe, as a family we can’t comprehend how much this has affected and damaged us.”

“We can now finally put Naomi to rest after today, rest in peace Beautiful xxx”

The court heard how at 1:38am in the early hours of Friday 6 December 2019, Elliott set off in his Audi RS3 from the Scotch Corner Hotel with a view to going for a drive out to Brimham Rocks.

Ms Buckle was one of four passengers in the car.

All the occupants were wearing their seatbelts, but it is believed that Ms Buckle who was in the rear middle seat had moved the upper part of her seatbelt under her arm as she found it more comfortable.

Having driven through Ripon, Elliott continued on a winding rural road in wet conditions with no street lighting.

Elliott’s passengers were concerned by his driving and asked him to slow down. Just after 2am, Elliott lost control of the vehicle as it travelled downhill around a sharp left hand bend where the vehicle left the road and struck a tree.

Three of the five occupants were able to get out of the vehicle. One person suspected that they had serious injuries and was later rescued by the fire service.

Despite her friends administering CPR, Ms Buckle died at the scene from her injuries.

Now 25, Elliott, of Anteforth View, pleaded guilty and was jailed for two years in prison and was banned from driving for three years.

Sergeant Mark Patterson, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “This is such a needless loss of a young life, something that could have been avoided.

“I cannot emphasise enough the importance of driving to the road conditions and complying with rules of the road. The rules are in place for a reason.

“Do not overestimate your driving ability and while there is no doubt where the responsibility for Naomi’s death lies, please, please make sure that fasten your seatbelt correctly.

“Naomi's family have shown incredible courage and bravery throughout this ordeal. They have suffered more than any prison sentence could compensate them for.”

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