A teen driver who sent Snapchat videos while his friend lay dying in his car has walked free from court. Thomas Beadle admitted causing death by careless driving after he crashed into the back of Blaine Darnell's vehicle on Stockton's A177 Durham Road last September.
The 19-year-old victim's mother Zoe Darnell told the defendant that she "hates him for what he has done", Teesside Live reports. In the aftermath of the collision, the now-20-year-old sent videos and pictures of the scene to friends over Snapchat while Blaine died in his car, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The victim, who was driving a Vauxhall Corsa, had met with friends on the evening of September 29, 2021, before making their way to Teesside Park. However, when Blaine slowed down at a set of temporary traffic lights, Beadle was driving his Peugeot 308 too close and too fast behind him - meaning he was unable to stop in time.
