Content warning: This page contains distressing information
At around 3am on Christmas morning in 2021, Lillie’s Mum, Debbie, was woken by a knock on her front door. Two police officers asked if she was Lillie’s mother. And in that moment, everything changed. Lillie had been involved in a car crash, and it was critical.
Lillie had been to Winter Wonderland in London on Christmas Eve with her boyfriend. They called at a pub for a drink on the way home and were offered a lift. Unbeknown to them, the driver – Charlie Hilton – had been drinking that day and was over the drink-drive limit.
Soon after Lillie, her boyfriend and friend got in the car, a police car appeared and signaled for Hilton to pull over. Instead, he drove off at speeds of up to 100mph through residential streets, before his Mercedes hit a tree, flipped over and burst into flames.
Tragically, Lillie died from her injuries three days later.
Lillie’s aunt, Donna Barnham, said: “He did not listen to our Lillie and his passengers pleading with him to stop. He continued to drive at speed and killed our princess. The selfish choices he made killed our little baby.”
Over a year after the crash, Charlie Hilton was jailed for just 10 years and six months for causing death by dangerous driving. He was banned from driving for five years.
Throughout the court proceedings, until his sentence, Hilton had been legally allowed to drive, and Lillie’s family discovered that he had even taken foreign holidays.
On sentencing, Lillie’s family learned that Hilton had a number of previous motoring offences.
“How can it be right that our Lillie was left to lay in a hospital mortuary and needs a postmortem to prove how she died, while the driver is free to enjoy his life?” added Donna.
“Something needs to change! Help us get justice for Lillie, her mum, brother and family.”