EMOTIONAL victim impact statements from the grieving family of Liberty Baker were read out in Oxford Crown Court yesterday.

Before 19-year-old Robert Blackwell was sentenced to four years’ prison for the fatal crash that killed the 14-year-old, prosecutor Ian Hope invited her father to read his statement in person.

Mr Baker said: “Since Liberty’s death, our lives have been severely shattered and we feel utterly devastated.

“The future milestones that we would have taken for granted, such as Liberty wearing a prom dress, going to university, her 18th and 21st birthdays, and being able to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, have been so cruelly taken from us. Day-to-day life will never be the same.

“Our house has gone from a very happy, vibrant home, which used to run like clockwork, to a house that just about functions.

“As a family we are dreading Christmas, as we will only have one sack of presents instead of two.

“No parent should have to bury their child.”

Then Mr Hope read a poem written by Liberty’s 11-year-old brother Finley.

He said: “Those special memories of you will always make me smile.

"If I could just have you back for a while.

It’s been a year since you passed away, I still think of you every day in my own special way."