The families of Neil Mills (pictured) and Anthony Crosby said they were furious after being told in a telephone call that Craig Davis was jailed for four-and-a-half years for killing the two teenagers after his speeding car ploughed into the rear of a parked car.
They were also angry at the length of the sentence.
Police estimated Davis, who had passed his driving test 11 months earlier, was doing at least 76mph when he lost control of a powerful 2.6 litre, V6 VW Golf one night in December as he gave friends a lift home from the pub.
His car careered into the rear of a Vauxhall Corsa which was parked outside a take-away shop on the 30mph-limit Rochdale Road in Blackley in which three friends were sitting eating pizza.
The Corsa and another parked car, also a VW golf, were shunted around 16 metres uphill along Rochdale Road.
Neil Mills, 18, an apprentice car mechanic who was sitting in the rear of the Corsa, died almost immediately. Anthony Crosby, 15, who had been sitting on the front passenger seat, was freed from the wreckage but died in hospital that night. The driver of the Corsa, 18-year-old Kevin Cosgrove, was seriously hurt but survived.
Davis, 20, a plasterer and tiler, of Hollins Lane in Middleton, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving as well as driving without insurance.
Judge Robert Atherton sentenced Davis to four-and-half-years in a Young Offenders Institution at Manchester Crown Court, telling the defendant he accepted he would not have appreciated precisely how fast he was going at the time because he was used to a less powerful car.
Public gallery
The defendant's family were the only people in the public gallery when sentenced was passed.
Families of the two victims later contacted the M.E.N. to express their anger that the sentencing, which was originally scheduled to take place today was brought forward without their knowledge.
Neil Mills' mother Maxine Donellan, 44, from Harpurhey, said: "It's disgraceful. Four-and-half-years for two deaths and one person badly injured.
"And the fact we weren't even there makes it worse. I'm going to see my solicitor about it.
"I'm not going to leave it. He'll be out in two years. I'm not happy at all with the sentencing. My son has been taken away. I've been robbed of grandkids. I've never felt anger towards Davis until now.
"I want proper justice done. This is not justice.
"The police just left a message on my mobile to say he had been sent to prison. It's that kind of thing that just makes people take things into their own hands.
"I wanted to see if he showed any emotion. The last time I was in court, I went up to his mother and said `'no hard feelings'. I don't feel that way now. I would love to speak to that judge. He wouldn't have given him 4-and-a-half years if he had kids himself."
Michelle Crosby, 38, from Newton Heath, Anthony Crosby's aunt, said: "We got a phone call from the family liaison officer to say the lad had been sentenced and it was going to be in the news. I just cannot believe it.
"We all wanted to be there for the satisfaction of him going down. There's still questions about that night but we don't know what happened in that court room. We don't know anything.
"All we know is we got a phone call to say he has been sentenced.
"For two lives, the sentence is pathetic." Tweet
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How pathetic of the criminal justice system.
The police knew before hand that he was being sentenced & thought it would be easier for them not too inform the families.
This has been handled in an un-professional way & all concerned must have some reconpense
Why are the families of these lads upset about being told by phone about the sentence of this killer driver, the judicial system in this country doesn’t give a dam about the families of the victims all it cares about is that this poor young lad will have to serve about 2 ½ years inside were he will be given all the help he needs to get on with his life when he gets out. He probably got more sentence for not having any insurance. The lad that escaped death at the hands of this killer will have to sort himself out, he will get the minimum of help from the system. A message to the families please don’t expect any real justice from the system please just remember the goods times you had with your kids and try to get on with your lives or it will eat away at you.
Tezza thats easy for you to say isnt it. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of insensetive comments that get posted on this site. If it was my child i certainly would not want to be informed via the telephone. They should have been there to see him sentenced for themselves, they are there children. What is wring with wanting to see justice being given. Think before you type.
Tezza,I am Anthonys aunty.I was wondering how to take your comment? There is still a lot missing from the whole night that we dont know about.A reporter from the MEN told me he was shocked to see no family there.The lad had hes family there!! It is not so much the shabby disgusting sentence he was given,thats sbout all i expected but i would of liked to have been proved wrong.It is disgusting how we have had to be told over the phone and until anything like this happens to you,you wouldnt understand.And our lives are already torn apart.And for Kevin to pull hes self together,he will never be the same person again!! I take it you was being sarcastically nice...
Michelle Crosby
Michelle I am sorry if my comments upset you but what meant to say (and maybe I put it the wrong way) was that the system seems set up to protect the accused and does nothing for the victims family, I agree that you should have been there to see him sentenced, but that just goes to prove my point that you were the last people they thought to inform. And as for my last comment what I meant was that this lad has ruined your family but please don’t let him do more damage to you all. My thoughts are with you all today.
Jimc if you read my comment you would see that my point is that the system doesn’t care about the innocent victim, I agree that they should have been there but who in the judicial system cares about the family. All my comments were on the side of the victims families if you read it properly.
Tezza,its ok i thought that was how you meant it.Im not offended.and i have just spoken to the family liason officer who is also disgusted that no police were informed either and have asked us to start an investigation as he has never known for this to of happened before.He said the police are all annoyed too.And i must admit that i think the police have done a great job,its when it gets to court that its all Shambled.And this never even got to court the way it should of done.
How can Davies say, he didn’t believe his driving was dangerous, He went through a red light, which he lied about, He was doing more than twice the speed limit, Was not insured for the vehicle. In my book if you don’t obey the rules of the road, then you are driving dangerously. The crazy thing is the judge believed this too, hence the sentence handed to him 4 1/2yrs pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!! I heard this morning that the family were informed of Davis’s sentence by Phone!!!!!!!!!! Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!. No thought for the victims or there families, only the offender’s feelings considered, as usual. The families of those young people, are still grieving, and then to find out they have not been included in the sentencing of this maniac driver, is beyond belief. Somebody in authority should be giving answers.
My thoughts are with the families of Anthony, Neil & Kevin.
My thoughts go out to all the family members of those involved in the crash, i knew neil (ninny) and he was one of the most funniest people guys i knew he used to come and hangout on collyhurst having a laugh now and then R.I.P buddy.
Thankyou to all who have commented.Knowing people are behind us,is a comfort to us all.We know we can never bring our lads back,but we can help try and make the goverment take some notice of the pathetic sentencing and how the courts can sentence without the victims family being notified of changed dates.But the offenders family were obviously notified !!!!