Snapchat Speeding Stunt Ends in Double Fatality Just Weeks After Teen Passed Driving Test
29 days ago
A young British woman who filmed herself racing down a country road for social media killed two people just three weeks after earning her driver’s license, according to court records.
Liberty Mitchell, 21, of Chipping Norton, was behind the wheel of her gray Mini Cooper in December 2022 when she tore along the B4425 near Aldsworth at nearly 100 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone.
Mitchell attempted to overtake three vehicles at once, a reckless maneuver she abandoned too late. Her car slammed head on into a taxi traveling in the opposite direction, instantly killing the driver, Octavian Codreanu, and his passenger, Moyra Whelan, who was on her way to attend a wedding.
Three additional passengers in the taxi survived but suffered devastating injuries, including broken ribs, fractured hips, severe internal trauma, and crushed bones. One survivor later told the court they continue to live with constant psychological distress and overwhelming survivor’s guilt.
Prosecutors revealed that Mitchell had been recording herself moments before the crash, gleefully documenting her speeding and weaving into oncoming traffic for Snapchat. At the time of the collision, she had held a full driving license for fewer than three weeks.
At sentencing in Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Rupert Lowe condemned Mitchell’s behavior as dangerously irresponsible. He described her as reckless and immature, driven by the false belief that nothing bad could happen to her.
Mitchell was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison, with half the term to be served in custody. She was also banned from driving for eight years and four months.
