Teenage driver who killed girl, 17, after speeding at 113mph before car flipped and crashed on motorway is jailed for five years

Published: 12:30, 28 June 2026 | Updated: 12:31, 28 June 2026 A reckless teenage driver who killed a 17-year-old girl after speeding at 113mph before the car flipped and crashed on a motorway has been jailed for five years. Leon Callaghan, 19, was behind the wheel of a Seat Ibiza when he lost control of the vehicle on the M65 near Burnley, Lancashire, in the early hours of October 2, 2024. He smashed into the central reservation and flipped his car leaving Demi-Leigh Davies with catastrophic crush injuries after carrying out a 'grossly dangerous manoeuvre' at high speed. Sadly, Demi-Leigh could not be saved and was later pronounced dead in hospital. Two other passengers, girls aged 17 and 19, also suffered serious injuries in the crash but have since recovered. Callaghan, of Darwen, Lancashire, admitted causing death by dangerous driving. He was jailed for five years and three months at Preston Crown Court on Friday. Sentencing, Judge Robert Altham said: 'What has caused this young woman's death is your choice, that rather than face the mild inconvenience of rerouting, you decided to undertake a grossly dangerous manoeuvre. 'You had your foot literally to the floor.' 'Beautiful, funny, caring and selfless' Demi-Leigh Davies (pictured), 17, died from catastrophic crush injuries she suffered as a result of the horror crash Leon Callaghan (pictured), who was 17 at the time, was jailed for five years and three months after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving The judge described Demi-Leigh as a 'funny, lively young woman' who had just been offered her first job at a care home and had a promising future ahead of her. He said Callaghan had shown limited remorse and blamed external factors rather than accepting responsibility after he told police his foot must have got stuck between the pedals causing the excessive speed. Judge Robert Altham added: 'You were responsible for yourself and four other young lives that night.' The court heard Callaghan, then 17, had been driving a group of friends home after spending the evening in Manchester with his partner and a friend. Sarah Magill, prosecuting, said the group later picked up Demi-Leigh, who sat in the rear of the car behind the driver, making five people in the vehicle. At around 3.31am, one of the passengers filmed the speedometer on a mobile phone, showing the car travelling at 114mph on the eastbound carriageway of the M65. Just minutes later, as Callaghan approached junction nine, he was still travelling at about 113mph when he found himself in the exit lane of the motorway. Miss Magill said he then tried to steer back onto the main carriageway, crossing hatched markings and solid white lines at the 'bullnose' where the lanes divide. The manoeuvre caused him to lose control and the car skidded into the central reservation and rebounded back towards the hard shoulder. The car then struck the barrier and rolled several times before coming to rest on the embankment. Three rear-seat passengers, none of whom were wearing seatbelts, were thrown from the vehicle as crushed bodywork protruded into the cabin. Passing motorists who saw the wreckage turned off at the next junction and doubled back, reaching the scene within minutes and finding no one inside the car. Callaghan, covered in blood, approached them and asked them to call an ambulance, before helping point out where his friends had landed. One of the men, a trained first aider, found Demi-Leigh lying in long grass on an embankment and began CPR. Paramedics arrived at around 3.51am to find police already at the scene and Demi-Leigh in cardiac arrest. Despite invasive resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead at Royal Blackburn Hospital at 5am. The scene of the crash on the M65 near Burnley, Lancashire, in the early hours of October 2, 2024 The car struck the barrier and rolled several times before coming to rest on the embankment A post-mortem examination found she had suffered catastrophic crush injuries, including rib fractures which penetrated a lung, multiple lacerations to internal organs, and fractures to her pelvis, spine and other bones. The cause of death was given as severe blood loss due to traumatic injuries. Analysis of the Seat Ibiza showed it had been driven at up to 127-129mph and was effectively at its limit, with a stopping distance of around 145m from that speed. Callaghan said he could not recall driving at such speed and suggested he may have passed out while driving. In a victim personal statement, Demi-Leigh's mother said she had not just lost a daughter but 'my world', describing the teenager as 'beautiful, funny, caring and selfless'. She said her family had been given 'a life sentence of grief' and spoke of the pain of knowing her daughter would never get to grow into adulthood, achieve her dreams or share future milestones with her younger sister. She said: 'There are no words that can truly describe the pain of losing a child. Every day I wake up with the reality that my daughter is gone. 'Every day I am reminded that I will never hear her voice again, never hear her laugh again, never be able to hold her again or hear her call me mum. 'As a family, we will never see Demi become the woman she was meant to be. We will never see her progress in the career she had just begun. 'We will never see her achieve her dreams, fall in love, get married, or have children of her own. 'We will never know what her future would have looked like because it was taken from her before she had the chance to live it. 'Demi was only beginning her journey into adulthood. She had her whole future ahead of her. 'That future was stolen from her, and our family has been left to live with that loss every single day. 'Nothing can undo the pain and suffering that her death has caused. We have been given a life sentence of grief, and we will carry that burden for the rest of our lives.' Emma Kehoe, defending, said Callaghan had been 17 at the time and of previous good character, and that he now fully accepted his actions caused Demi-Leigh's death. The court was told Callaghan had been diagnosed with ADHD at 12 and more recently with autism, which she said affected his thinking and decision-making. Miss Kehoe said he had held a provisional licence from the age of 16 and had been driving for a significant period before passing his test on his 17th birthday, giving him more time behind the wheel than many drivers his age. Callaghan, who is now a father and expects a second child later this year, was sentenced to five years and three months' detention in a young offenders' institution. He was also disqualified from driving for nine years and one month and must pass an extended re-test before he can drive again. Detective Constable Olivia Maidment, of Lancashire Police, said: 'Demi-Leigh was clearly a much loved young woman with her whole life ahead of her and my thoughts today are with all of her loved ones. 'Nothing can ever compensate for the loss of a life, but I hope at least that this sentence gives Demi-Leigh's family some sense that justice has been done.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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