Keely Morgan: Driver Christopher West jailed for killing schoolgirl on zebra crossing in Cardiff
A careless “show-off” driver killed a schoolgirl who was described as an “absolute star”
Christopher West hit Keely Morgan as she crossed a main road at a zebra crossing. He was driving a Vauxhall Astra faster than the 30mph speed limit and did not see the teenager, even though she was carrying an illuminated iPad.
Keely had overcome significant health problems, having undergone a kidney transplant in 2021 which saved her life. She died at the scene.
A court heard that West’s two daughters and their friend had been in the car during the incident. One of the passengers told the police West had been “snaking” along the road and had removed his car’s black box, invalidating his insurance, to show off to them. West previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing death while uninsured.
However, the defendant initially claimed the car’s black box had been disconnected while he was working on the car, and he had forgotten to reconnect it and his driving had been normal. His passengers said that was not correct.
Judge Paul Hobson branded West as an “irresponsible show off” at a sentencing hearing on Thursday.
“Keely Morgan was just 15 years old when she died,” he said. “Keely died as a result of your actions, as a result of your careless driving that evening.”
He added: “You should have seen her and come to a stop in order to allow her to cross. Instead, you continued driving, oblivious to her, meaning that when Keely stepped into the road, you collided with her.”
He described Keely as a young woman who was part of a “large family network” and her loss had “devastated those who loved her”.
The judge said it was “plain” that West had been driving over the 30mph limit the road had at the time. West had been described as “apologetic” and in a state of panic after the collision.
But the judge said: “Any remorse that you have is overshadowed by your attempts to minimise your level of responsibility, to the extent of challenging what your own passengers were saying. Although you may well be sorry for what happened to Keely, a large part of your concern is for yourself.”
The judge handed West, of Ely, Cardiff, a 16-month prison sentence and disqualified him from driving for two years and eight months. As he was sent down, there were shouts of “f*** off” and “disgusting” from the public gallery.
The collision happened on Heol Trelai, Caerau, Cardiff at about 9.30pm on May 1, 2023. The sentencing was at Cardiff Crown Court.
At the time Keely’s mum Sian Morgan and stepdad Liam Coulthard gave the following tribute: “As a family we are just devastated at the sudden loss of Keely. Our hearts are broken, and we never imagined anything like this would ever happen to us. Keely always had such a beautiful smile that would light up a room.
“She was sensible, kind and not one person ever had a bad word to say about her. In such a short time in this world, she had touched so many people and she had so many plans that have now been so cruelly taken away.
“We have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from our community and although we can’t answer every single one, we wanted to thank you all.
Finally, to anyone at the scene who tried to help Keely and to all the emergency services who tried their best, again as family we are grateful for your efforts. Rest in peace Keely. You will never be forgotten.”
Also at the time, Martin Hulland, head teacher at Cardiff West Community High School, in Ely: said: “There was an enormous sense of shock and a huge outpouring of grief as we received the terrible news. Keely was an exceptional student who loved school. She was a good friend to many students and had a real passion for drama. Her family were outstanding supporters of the school.
“Keely demonstrated high levels of resilience to overcome serious health issues and was a superb role model to so many. She was described as an ‘absolute star’ by her Head of Year, and we will all miss her terribly.”