Speeding Audi RS3 driver jailed for crash on Yorkshire road which killed his friend and young mother

Harry Elliott, then 21, picked up three male friends and one of their girlfriends, 21-year-old Naomi Buckle, in the early hours of December 6, 2019, and they set off for a drive from Catterick to beauty spot Brimham Rocks.

After hitting speeds of up to 94mph on the A1(M), they headed through Ripon and Elliott lost control on a bend on the B6265, a winding country road near the luxury hotel Grantley Hall.

The Audi struck a tree and Naomi, who was a passenger in the middle seat, was thrown forwards and died at the scene from a haemorrhage to her bowel. The other passengers suffered serious fractures.

Elliott appeared at York Crown Court today for sentencing after pleading guilty to causing the death of Naomi, who was the partner of his friend Tyler Kendell, by dangerous driving.

Now 25, he has no previous convictions, no endorsements on his licence and offered an apology to the devastated Buckle family through his barrister.

The court heard that a Snapchat video taken in the car before the crash showed the ‘hyped’ friends listening to loud music, shouting and cheering. Once they left the motorway for the A6055, Elliott continued to drive above the limit, with an average speed of 73mph in a 60mph zone recorded.

The collision happened at 2am on an unlit stretch of narrow road in wet conditions, after Elliott’s passengers had asked him to slow down. His speed five seconds before the impact was 69mph, and the ‘heavily laden’ car lost traction on a sharp turn.

The court was told that Naomi had adjusted her seatbelt and was wearing it under rather than over her arm for comfort, and could have survived had it been correctly used.

Elliott tested negative for drugs and alcohol at the scene, but prosecutors said he called his brother and ‘other third parties’ before dialling 999, which he claimed was because he ‘panicked’ and did not realise the severity of the situation.

Summing up their case, the Crown Prosecution Service said: “He drove overconfidently and at speed, encouraged by the music and presence of his friends. He overestimated his own capabilities.”

Naomi’s father, Gary Buckle, provided a victim impact statement about the death of the younger of his two daughters. From a military family, Naomi and her three-year-old daughter had remained in Catterick living with Mr Kendell after Mr Buckle was posted to Scotland.

Mr Buckle said that after ‘fun, adventurous, party animal’ Naomi was killed, her mother Elaine’s health declined significantly and she died in 2021, adding: “She never got justice and died with her questions unanswered. She had given up. She missed Naomi so much and life was not worth the fight.”

Elliott’s defence counsel said his client felt ‘genuine remorse’ over the death of his friend and is a young man who has suffered ‘his own tragedies’, including the death of his father and his mother’s ill health.

He added: “He is a nice, decent and helpful young man to all who know him. He is of genuinely good character and had a good driving record.”

Sentencing Elliott, of Gilling West, to two years in prison and disqualifying him from driving for three years, Judge Sean Morris said: “Young men in fast cars must understand that they drive lethal weapons. It is predominantly men in performance cars, and they owe a duty of care and to pay attention to the conditions of the road.

"You were all good friends and in a party mood. Sadly Naomi wore her seatbelt under her arm rather than over it, but it was your responsibility to make sure all of your passengers were properly buckled in.

"You reached stupid speeds. You were going too fast and were told to slow down. You lost it.”

Judge Morris added that there was an ‘unjustifiable’ delay of over two years until Elliott was charged – attributed to retirement and illness among investigating police officers – and added: “That should never happen. There was a grieving family who wanted answers.”