A Cotswolds woman has been jailed after overtaking on the wrong side of the road and causing a crash which killed two people and seriously injured three others.
Liberty Mitchell of Chipping Norton appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday (February 13), where she was sentenced to six years and eight months imprisonment.
As well as being jailed, the 21-year-old was disqualified from driving for eight years and four months, had to undertake an extended driving test to regain her licence and was ordered to pay a statutory surcharge.
Mitchell was due to stand trial but instead pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and two counts of causing death by driving whilst uninsured during a hearing on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
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The court heard how police had been called to the B4425 at Riversmeet North near Aldsworth shortly after 12.45pm on Friday, December 2, 2022, with a report of a serious collision which involved multiple vehicles.
The collision, which took place between the Coln St Aldwyns and Eastington turnings, involved a Mini Cooper being driven by Mitchell, an Audi A3, a Polestar 2 and a Seat Leon taxi.
Emergency services attended, and the driver of the taxi, Octavian Codreanu, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
His passenger, school teacher Moyra Whelan, was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for treatment and died later that day from her injuries.
Several other people were taken to the hospital for treatment, and many are now living with a daily reminder of the collision after sustaining serious and life-changing injuries.
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Mitchell was arrested at the scene and later charged in connection with the collision.
Police investigations found that Mitchell had regularly been speeding and driving whilst using her mobile phone, despite passing her driving test less than three weeks before the collision happened.
An analysis of Mitchell’s social media found that she had been filming Snapchat videos whilst behind the wheel.
These videos showed Mitchell’s lack of care for driving safely, with one showing her driving at 100 miles per hour on a county road and another showing her veering onto the opposite side of the road towards an oncoming car as friends shouted for her to stop.
In mitigation, Mitchell’s lawyer said her overtaking manoeuvre on the day was a momentary lapse of judgment by a young and inexperienced driver.
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He went on to say that Mitchell was unable to appreciate the risks and dangers that were involved in the manoeuvre due to her lack of driving experience.
Sergeant Williams from the Serious Collision Investigation Team said: "This case was due to go to trial, and I’m pleased that Mitchell pleaded guilty and has now been sentenced.
"Her actions tragically killed taxi driver Octavian Codreanu and his passenger, school teacher Moyra Whelan, as well as seriously injuring three others.
"Friday, December 2, 2022, is a day that will be ingrained in not only the minds of the families who lost a loved one, but also the numerous victims who have suffered horrendous injuries and who are still recovering today, as well as the large number of witnesses who stopped to help and whose lives have also been affected.
"Our thoughts remain with those who have suffered loss and injuries, and I’d like to thank the families of everyone involved in the collision for their patience and bravery during what has been a lengthy process."
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