Learner driver Rhys McLennan, who killed his girlfriend Chelsea Gillie when he crashed his car into a tree, keeps his freedom

Rhys McLennan lost control of his Nissan Pixo on a winding country road, close to Alnwick, in October 2020.

He and Chelsea Gillie were on their way back to McLennan’s home after a trip to Morrisons to buy juice when the accident happened.

The couple, who had been together for around a month, had met at college. Chelsea, 17, suffered serious injuries and died in hospital three days later.

At Newcastle Crown Court McLennan, now 20, of Cheviot Lodge, in Longframlington, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, causing death by driving a vehicle while unlicensed and causing deathby driving a vehicle while uninsured.

He had just a provisional licence at the time and had been receiving driving lessons from his mother in the Nissan motor which had been left to him by his late grandfather.

McLennan, who had never been in trouble before and had no drink or drugs in his system, took the keys without his mother's permission that night so he could drive to the supermarket.

In a victim statement, Chelsea's heartbroken mum Amanda, who spoke on behalf of the whole family, said: "The day of the crash is the day our family's life changed forever, in the most harrowing, hardest way.

"I am now broken and can never be mended because Cheslea has died."

She said Rhys had taken away all of their emotional milestones, such as special birthdays, marriage, children and the achievements Chelsea should have been able to enjoy, adding: "Rhys has put us through absolute hell."

Judge Robert Adams sentenced McLennan, who was diagnosed with autism as a child, to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with a four-month curfew, rehabilitation requirements and 150 hours

of unpaid work.

He was also banned from driving for two years.

The judge said: "This is a tragic case. The defendant was only 18 at the time and Chelsea, aged 17, was his girlfriend.

"They had been in a relationship for about a month and was the holder of a provisional driving licence only."

He added the couple had been at McLennan's mother's house and "Chelsea had wanted juice" so they decided to go to Morrisons in Alnwick to buy some.

Judge Adams said McLennan's decision to drive to the supermarket was done "spontaneously", without thought for the potential consequences and was linked to defects in his thinking due to his condition.

He added: "Nothing I can say or do is likely to reduce the pain suffered by Chelsea's family. I have to follow guidelines applicable to cases of this type and impose the correct sentence."

Tony Cornberg, mitigating, said McLennan, who "loved her [Chelsea] more than anything", had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and had nightmares about what happened.

Mr Cornberg said: "He knows that the pain he feels does not compare to the pain felt by Chelsea's family. They probably don't even like me saying her name.

"He has nightmares every night, it is the first thing he thinks about every morning."

He added McLennan constantly relives the 15 to 20 minutes he spent alone in the dark with Chelsea after the crash, before help arrived.