THE NINE-YEAR sentence of Robert Brown – the man who killed young Coventry brothers Corey and Casper Platt-May in a road crash while high on cocaine – has been referred to the Court of Appeal.
Robert Brown was sentenced for causing the deaths of Corey and Casper Platt-May, aged six and two respectively – a charge to which he pleaded guilty.
Following the controversial decision, there were calls – including from Corey and Casper’s mother Louise and father Reece who recently died – for Brown to receive a life sentence.
An appeal was lodged to the Attorney General Jeremy Wright MP’s office for the case to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme (ULS).
It has been confirmed today the case will now be taken to the Court of Appeal where the government’s senior legal advisers will consider the sentencing.
A spokesperson from the Solicitor General’s Office said: “After careful consideration, the Solicitor General referred the case of Robert Brown to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
“We await a date for the hearing.”
Under ULS, members of the public can ask the Attorney General’s office to examine sentences handed down by Crown Courts in England and Wales within 28 days of sentencing.
Brown’s case has now added impetus to widespread calls for tougher sentences for those who cause death by dangerous driving.
The government’s Ministry of Justice last October announced plans to introduce life jail terms for such offenders as well as careless drivers who kill while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The current maximum sentence is 14 years.
The boys’ mother, Louise , 28, said after the sentencing hearing: “Corey and Casper were everything to us and we will not get over losing them.
“To watch your children die in front of you is something no parent should have to experience.
“Our family should have had so many years ahead of us to create a lifetime of memories but these have all been snatched away because of Robert Brown.
“We don’t blame the judge for the sentence he imposed, but what today has highlighted is that those who rip families apart seem to be the ones who get off more lightly.
“Because of him we are living a life sentence knowing we will never see our boys grow up, whilst he will be out of prison in just a few years and will be free to continue his life.
“We will never come to terms with how Corey and Casper were taken far too soon.
“Our only hope now is that some good comes out of their deaths through the introduction of tougher punishments for drivers who think they are above the law.
“We call on the government to honour Corey and Casper’s legacy by ensuring its proposals are made law as soon as practically possible.”
The sentence followed a heart-breaking incident at just after 2pm on February 22 in Longfellow Road, Coventry, when the youngsters, who were with their mother, were hit by a black Ford Focus driven by Brown.
Without a thought for the boys, Brown drove off before abandoning the car in nearby Hipswell Highway, but he and his passenger Gwendoline Harrison were arrested shortly afterwards.
At a previous hearing, Brown, 53, of Attwood Crescent, Wyken, Coventry, also pleaded guilty to driving the Focus while disqualified, having no insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with his licence.
Emergency services arrived at the collision site where they found Corey with serious injuries. He was taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Casper was treated at the roadside but he passed away at the scene.
Some 40 metres from the initial impact, the Ford Focus, which had been driven by Brown, came to a halt and the driver and Harrison tried to make their escape.
Tests later revealed Brown to have exceeded the legal threshold for commencing prosecutions for driving with the presence of cocaine in his system, by more than nine times.
