Liberty Mitchell's fatal crash sentence increased on appeal
Liberty Mitchell, the reckless young driver who killed two people in a Gloucestershire crash, has had her prison sentence increased from six years and eight months to nine years and three months. The Court of Appeal raised the term after Attorney General Ellie Reeves referred the case as unduly lenient.
Key Takeaways
- Liberty Mitchell's jail term rose by two years and seven months to nine years and three months on 28 July 2026.
- Attorney General Ellie Reeves KC referred the case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
- Taxi driver Octavian Codreanu and history teacher Moyra Whelan died after the December 2022 crash on the B4425.
- Mitchell had filmed herself speeding at up to 100mph on Snapchat days before the collision.
- She was also disqualified from driving for eight years and four months and must pass an extended test.
What happened in the Liberty Mitchell fatal crash?
On 2 December 2022, police were called to the B4425 near Aldsworth in Gloucestershire after a multi-vehicle collision involving a Mini Cooper driven by Liberty Mitchell, then 18, an Audi A3, a Polestar 2 and a Seat Leon taxi.
She had been travelling at 96mph in a 60mph zone seconds before impact and tried to overtake three vehicles at once. When she aborted the manoeuvre, she hit the taxi, sparking a pile-up.
Octavian Codreanu, the taxi driver, died at the scene. Passenger Moyra Whelan, a 35-year-old history teacher from Woodford in London on her way to a schoolfriend's wedding, later died at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Others were injured, including three people seriously hurt.
Mitchell had passed her driving test less than three weeks earlier. She was a self-employed domestic cleaner driving between jobs, and her insurance did not cover business use.
Why was Liberty Mitchell's sentence increased?
In February 2026 at Gloucester Crown Court, Mitchell, then 21 and of Chipping Norton, was jailed for six years and eight months after pleading guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while uninsured, and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Attorney General Ellie Reeves KC MP referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. On 28 July 2026, judges increased it by two years and seven months to nine years and three months.
Reeves said Mitchell's "reckless actions behind the wheel claimed the lives of two people and left many others with life-changing injuries," and welcomed the longer term. For more cases in this beat, see our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries coverage.
Did Liberty Mitchell film herself speeding before the crash?
Yes. A police investigation found Snapchat videos of Mitchell filming herself driving dangerously. One showed her at 100mph on a county road; another showed her veering onto the opposite carriageway toward oncoming traffic as friends shouted for her to stop.
Investigators also said the then-teen had regularly been speeding and using a mobile phone while driving. She was arrested at the scene and later charged.
Alongside the longer prison term, Mitchell remains disqualified from driving for eight years and four months and must take an extended driving test before she can regain a licence. Further reporting is available from the BBC.