The Sheffield man who killed the young mother in the crash on the Parkway has been jailed

A man has been jailed for causing the death of a young mother who died when the car she was in crashed into a parked taxi.

Sharna Brooke Burgin, 23, died and four others were injured in the crash on the A57 Sheffield Parkway on 26 February 2023.

Leon Roberts, 25, previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, Roberts, of Ballifield Close in Sheffield, was jailed for nine years and six months.

Footage played in court showed the defendant drinking two pints of beer and “a short drink” at the Old Crown Inn pub in Sheffield between 22:00 GMT on February 25 and 01:00 GMT the following morning.

In the clip, he appears to be unsteady on his feet, staggering backwards after standing up from his chair.

The court heard that Roberts then offered to drive four people, including Ms Burgin, into Sheffield city center and lied when asked if he had had anything to drink and was fit to drive.

Snapchat videos captured by its passengers moments before the collision show the Mercedes GLA speeding towards Sheffield Parkway, with one of the captions reading ‘Im gunna die (sic)’.

The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, told the court that Roberts had “been out of character” and had ignored warnings from friends to slow down.

Roberts was traveling at about 100mph – twice the speed limit – before he lost control and crashed into a taxi which had been parked at a resort.

As the Mercedes filled with smoke and one of the passengers tried to get others to safety, Roberts fled the scene.

The court heard that all the passengers as well as the taxi driver were injured.

Mrs Burgin, mother of a five-year-old girl, suffered a devastating brain injury and died in hospital a short time later.

Roberts turned himself in 16 hours later, with the results of a urine sample consistent with previous use of cocaine, cannabis and alcohol.

On Friday, Roberts was also given a concurrent sentence of two years and four months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was banned from driving for a primary period of eight years.

Addressing the defendant, Judge Richardson said: “Arrogance, alcohol and cowardice – what a terrible combination.

“You have brought devastation to the family and one little girl in particular. Your conduct was truly despicable.”

Victim impact statements read in court described Ms Burgin as a kind, happy and caring young woman and a loving mother who had just fulfilled her dream of becoming a paramedic.

Ms Burgin’s grandmother told the court her niece was an organ donor whose donations helped improve the lives of four people.

Judge Richardson thanked the family for their statements and said the donations were “magnanimous, public-spirited and quite wonderful” in the face of “immense tragedy”.