Richmond man jailed for causing death by dangerous driving

A 25-year-old Richmond man has today (Monday 24 July) been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for causing the death by dangerous driving of 20-year-old Naomi Buckle from Catterick.

Harry Elliott of Anteforth View, appeared at York Crown Court on Friday 6 June 2023, where he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Along with the prison sentence he was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to take an extended driving test.

The court heard how at 1.38am in the early hours of Friday 6 December 2019, Harry Elliott set off in his Audi RS3 from the Scotch Corner Hotel with a view to going for a drive out to Brimham Rocks.

There were four passengers in the vehicle who were all friends, including Naomi.

All the occupants were wearing their seatbelts, but it is believed that Naomi 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 extracted by the fire service.

But tragically, and despite her friends administering CPR, Naomi died at the scene from her injuries.

The other passengers suffered a number of fractures but have since recovered from their injuries.

Elliott initially pleaded not guilty to this offence but changed his plea at the start of the trial.

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.”

Naomi’s family added this tribute:

“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”