Neve Cotgrave-Hewitt: 'Beautiful' schoolgirl died in 120mph fireball crash after booze and cocaine-fuelled 'stepdad' lost control

A "beautiful diva" schoolgirl was killed in a 120mph fireball crash in a car being driven by her alcohol and cocaine-fuelled "stepdad", an inquest heard.

Neve Cotgrave-Hewitt, aged 12, and her mother's partner, Scott Dennis Matthews, died when Mr Matthews lost control of his black Renault Clio on the A442, near Trench Lock in Telford, in the early hours of September 5 last year.

The car went up a grass verge, ploughed through a tree and hit a bridge support, landing in the carriageway on its roof. Flammable liquid leaked and the car caught fire, going completely up in flames in "20 to 30 seconds". It happened just two days before Neve's 13th birthday.

It could have been a quadruple tragedy, had it not been for the heroics of a 16-year-old passenger, who kicked the glass out of one of the windows and pulled a 13-year-old boy to safety before the car burst into flames.

An inquest into the two deaths was held at Shirehall, Shrewsbury, and heard evidence from statements provided by both surviving boys who were passengers in the car. Family members of the victims of the crash were in attendance.

The inquest was told that Burton Borough School pupil Neve and builder Mr Matthews, 36, travelled from their home in Newport to pick up the 13-year-old boy - Neve's boyfriend, who she had got together with a few days earlier. Mr Matthews then drove to a closed Shell garage in a failed attempt to pick up more alcohol, before going to Asda in Telford town centre to collect the 16-year-old boy, who was a friend of Neve's. They were going to have a sleepover.

Mr Matthews' driving was said to be "relatively normal" until he hit the A442, when he started speeding. Both boys said Mr Matthews was driving at around 120mph, with the 16-year-old saying he "knew we were going to crash".

In an interview with police, the 16-year-old said he had known Neve for about a year, having met at McDonald's in Newport as part of a group that would hang out there.

When he was picked up from Asda, the 16-year-old sat in the front - with Neve and the 13-year-old boy in the back. He said Mr Matthews was playing rock music at a "medium" level, and he could smell alcohol on him.

Mr Matthews drove onto the A442 and was driving "quicker and quicker", the 16-year-old said. He estimated the speed was around 120mph, "certainly in excess of 100mph".

The crash happened at around 2am, and the boy "came to his senses" shortly after while the vehicle was upside down in the road. He said he could hear the 13-year-old boy shouting for help in the back. He could see the car was steaming and could "smell burning". He unclipped his seatbelt and tried to open the door but couldn't. He then kicked the glass through and helped the 13-year-old boy out of the car. Shortly after, the car went up in flames with Neve and Mr Matthews still inside.

The younger boy also said he smelled alcohol on Mr Matthews in the car in his statement to police. He described Mr Matthews' driving as "erratic" saying he was "swerving for no reason" and that he went the wrong way around a roundabout.

He said that shortly before the crash he looked at the speedometer and Mr Matthews was doing 120mph. He said that Neve was not wearing a seatbelt.

After the crash happened, he remembered being suspended upside down by his seatbelt. He managed to wake the 16-year-old boy, who helped him free. A member of the public also arrived on the scene to help.

A blood test on Mr Matthews' body found he had 236 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood - nearly three times the legal limit of 80mcg. A post mortem examination also found he had "medium" levels of cocaine in his system.

Evidence was also read from PC Victoria Grimmer, a forensic crash investigator. She said there were marks on a grass verge and that the car went through the tree, with part of it ending up lodged in the engine, leaving a stump behind. PC Grimmer said evidence suggested the car was on two wheels at one stage and was airborne after hitting the tree, although an accurate speed of the crash could not be determined.

She said that although it was dark, the road was well lit with street lighting, dry and without defects. There were also no obvious problems with the car which would have led to the crash.

PC Grimmer also said that she had travelled in police vehicles going in excess of the speed limit on that stretch of road which were controlled safely without having an accident, suggesting speed was "not the sole factor" in this crash.

Dr Sam Elliot, a toxicologist who worked on Mr Matthews' post mortem, said that the stimulant effect of cocaine can give increased energy and a false sense of confidence, leading to "increased risk-taking behaviour". That is followed by a "come down" effect which can include fatigue, anxiety and depression. He said that, with the alcohol in Mr Matthews' system, could have "a detrimental effect on a person's driving ability".

PC Grimmer added: "Driving under the influence is extremely dangerous," and the fact that Mr Matthews had taken drugs and alcohol was a "major factor" in the crash.

John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, reached a conclusion that both deaths were as a result of a road traffic collision. "With our condolences, that concludes the inquest," he said.

Shortly after the tragedy, Neve's mum Penny Cotgrave, from Newport, told the Shropshire Star: "She was a diva. She was the most kind, caring, beautiful baby with attitude. She was sassy. I have just been watching my Ring doorbell footage and in the last one she's belching and blowing me kisses. She was just crazy and adorable, she was just a beautiful soul. She was such a caring, loving little treasure. My life will never be complete without her."