Wrexham teens died in crash after new driver sped into tree

The inquest held in Stafford on Wednesday was told neither of the girls sitting in the back of the car were wearing seatbelts and Mr Jones was not wearing his correctly, but Mr Craven-Jones was wearing his seatbelt.

On the night of the crash, Mr Craven-Jones, who had held his driving licence for five months, had driven to Penkridge in Staffordshire from Wrexham to pick up Mr Jones, who was at a house party there.

Friends Sophie Bates and Brooke Varley also got into the car and the four went for a drive to Cannock, before heading back on the same road in the direction of Penkridge.

Sgt Richard Moores from Staffordshire Police told the hearing Ms Varley had said Mr Craven-Jones was driving “a bit fast” on the way back from Cannock and she had asked him to slow down, while telling Ms Bates she “didn’t like the way the car was driving”.

Ms Varley told police at the time that she had a “rollercoaster feeling” and was holding on to the headrest of the passenger seat in front of her when she felt the car swerve and then blacked out.

She woke to hear someone on the phone to the emergency services.