Gavin Prodger slammed into Lily Lockwood with his Audi A1 on Watling Street at 6.50pm on July 10, 2021, killing the young girl instantly. Originally sentenced to 12 years for careless driving causing death and cocaine possession, his jail term has now been slashed to eight and a half years on appeal.
Speeding and Phone Use Caught on CCTV
Shocking CCTV footage showed Lily checking the road carefully as she crossed to meet friends in a park in Stone. But Prodger was tearing down the road at 47mph in a 30mph zone, distracted by his phone as he sent a photo moments before the tragedy.
Emergency crews rushed Lily to hospital but she died shortly after. Tests revealed Prodger, from Beaulieu Rise in Rochester, had cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine in his system at the time.
Investigator Slams Prodger’s Reckless Behaviour
“Prodger’s decision to drive that day cost a young child her life and left a family in mourning,” said Detective Constable Lee Berridge. “Not only was he speeding and using his phone, but he also had a known eyesight condition and was under the influence of class A drugs.”
Appeal Slashes Jail Time Over ‘Excessive’ Sentence
At the Court of Appeal in Central London on October 31, 2025, Prodger’s lawyers argued the original 12-year sentence was too harsh. A forensic collision expert testified that despite being high, Prodger’s reaction time was “impeccable” and could not have been quicker.
His defence also challenged claims he showed little remorse. Prodger had initially denied speeding or using his phone, though police proved otherwise. After Lily’s death, he even reoffended twice by driving under the influence of cocaine.
Judge Philip Statman said at sentencing: “I find very little that indicates genuine remorse and understanding of precisely what you have done.”
However, appeal judges ruled the case was wrongly placed in the highest culpability category for careless driving (level A) and reclassified it as culpability B, leading to the sentence being cut to eight years and six months.
Family Left Mourning, Justice Tweaked
The court heard Prodger is now “appalled” by the tragedy he caused. But that offers little comfort to Lily’s grieving family, still mourning their little girl taken far too soon on a quiet street that summer evening.
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