Man spared prison after causing death of girlfriend in crash
A man who caused the death of his girlfriend by careless driving today avoided an immediate prison sentence - after the victim's mother urged he be spared jail.
Thomas Whitehouse, aged 23, was today given a four-month prison term, suspended for 12 months, at Worcester Crown Court.
Whitehouse, of Burns Close in Stourbridge, lost control of his Vauxhall Astra and crashed into a stone wall and then a tree on the A449 in Cookley in December last year.
His 26-year-old girlfriend Samantha Jennings, a mother of two boys, was sat in the front seat and died at the scene. Whitehouse's friend Leander Mock was in rear seat.
Whitehouse suffered serious injuries and had a leg amputated.
A test following the fatal crash found no alcohol in Whitehouse's blood, but cannabis was detected, although it was unknown how much was taken.
Whitehouse had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
At court today, Samantha's mother Deborah sat alongside Whitehouse's family in the public gallery.
In a sign of forgiveness, she asked Whitehouse not to be given an immediate jail term.
Defending, Gurdeep Garcha said: "It speaks volumes of Mrs Jennings that she has remained in contact with Mr Whitehouse's family throughout this ordeal. She sits next to Mrs Whitehouse."
