Mother calls newly-qualified drivers to be banned from carrying passengers after daughter died in horror crash

Laionie Kennard, 18, was a passenger in a BMW 1 Series driven by soldier Joseph Pickett, 20, who had passed his driving test just three weeks earlier. Pickett lost control of the car on a country road, crashing into trees near Ringwood, Hampshire. While he and two other passengers survived with minor injuries, Laionie suffered fatal head injuries.

Despite admitting to causing death by careless driving, on January 29, Pickett walked free from court with a 10-month suspended sentence, a two-year driving ban, and 250 hours of unpaid work

Laionie’s mother, Kelly Kennard, 41, from Verwood, Dorset, has joined campaigners calling for tougher sentencing for drivers who cause deaths. She is also pushing for black boxes to be mandatory in newly-qualified drivers’ cars and for a ban on passengers during their first six months on the road.

“We feel let down. We are the ones living the life sentence,” Kelly said. “We've got the life sentence, Joe hasn’t - he has been able to live his life and continue his career. Laionie never got that chance. She had that taken away because of his actions. We are left living in this nightmare, day in and day out.”

On September 16, 2023, Kelly was at a carnival with her husband David and youngest daughter when she received a message from Laionie, who said she was going out with friends at 7pm and planned to stay at her friend Edy Herridge’s house for the night.

Later that evening, Kelly got a call from Edy’s mother, who had received an SOS alert from her daughter’s phone. Using the location provided, Kelly drove to the scene and was met with flashing blue lights blocking the road.

David managed to run past the police line and saw Laionie on a stretcher. “David came back and he said to me, ‘Laionie is dead,’” Kelly recalled. “He fell to the floor crying his eyes out, and I just screamed. I just kept screaming asking if it was true, and one of the officers looked at me and nodded his head.”

Accident investigators estimated that Pickett was driving between 43mph and 54mph in a 30mph zone. However, Kelly tracked Laionie’s journey using Life 360, a GPS-based app, which she claims showed the car reaching speeds of up to 80mph. Despite presenting this to authorities, police argued the app’s data could not be verified for accuracy and was therefore inadmissible in court.

On December 20, 2024, Pickett admitted to causing death by careless driving at Poole Magistrates Court. His commanding officer from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers provided a reference praising his “exemplary character” and warned that a prison sentence would end his military career.

“When the judge came back in, she said because of his glowing reference, and because he had no previous convictions, she gave him a 10-month suspended sentence, a driving ban, and a fine,” said Kelly. “I feel like his military career is worth more than a civilian life. You know, military, they’re meant to protect civilian lives, not take them.”

Kelly is now campaigning for stricter laws around newly-qualified drivers. “It has caused a public outrage as people just can’t understand the outcome,” she said. I think passengers should not be allowed in cars until after six months of passing the test. You pass your test, and learn to drive, but it’s only once you’re in the car on your own without anyone else that you actually learn.”