Ingrid Messenger death: Wigton driver admits causing fatal crash

A driver has admitted killing a 13-year-old girl and seriously injuring her mother and sister in a crash.

Tony Packenham, 47, crashed his Land Rover Defender into a Citroen in which Ingrid Messenger was a rear passenger near Carlisle on 18 February 2019.

He admitted causing death by dangerous driving and arrived at Carlisle Crown Court prepared to be jailed.

Sentencing was postponed for a week after it emerged Ingrid's family had not been informed of the hearing.

Packenham also pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by throwing away a memory stick containing dashcam footage of his vehicle travelling at speed before the crash between Stoneraise and Ivegill, on the C1036.

He also admitted his dangerous driving caused serious injury to Ingrid's mother and sister, then aged 15, both of whom had to be cut free from their car.

Packenham, of Station Hill, Wigton, arrived at the hearing carrying bags of possessions having "said his goodbyes" to relatives, the court was told.

His barrister, Andrew Nuttall, told Judge Nicholas Barker: "He has always understood that custody is the only sentence Your Honour can pass, and properly pass, and has accepted that."

Although a probation service pre-sentence report had been prepared on Packenham, Judge Barker opted not to pass sentence straight away after it emerged a "failure in communication" had resulted in Ingrid's family not being notified of the hearing.

"In my judgement it would be an act of gross insensitivity to proceed in these circumstances so I don't intend to do so," he said.

Packenham is due to be sentenced on 15 December. No application for bail was made, and he was remanded in custody.

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