TWO men have been jailed for a total of 16 years for causing the deaths of three 15-year-old boys during a car chase on a winding country road.

Elliot Furniss

TWO men have been jailed for a total of 16 years for causing the deaths of three 15-year-old boys during a car chase on a winding country road.

Kebab shop owner Sakir Olgun, 27, and unemployed Christopher Kibble, 18, of Hawkwood Road, Sible Hedingham, were both handed prison sentences of eight years at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday.

They had previously been found guilty of causing the deaths of Danny Archer, of Sible Hedingham, Christopher Jolley, of Little Maplestead, and Richard Warren, of Halstead, who were passengers in Kibble's car when it crashed into a tree on May 6 last year.

They had been part of a larger group on a fishing trip at a nearby lake when they arranged to meet Olgun to collect a food delivery at a Halsted car park.

After receiving the £14 order at about 1.30am, they drove off in Kibble's Ford Escort without paying.

Olgun, of Willoughby Road, Tottenham, North London, gave chase in his VW Bora - along the A131 road between Halsted and Sudbury.

There was a minor collision between the cars before Kibble, who had only passed his driving test days before, lost control.

In sentencing, Judge Charles Gratwicke said the pair shared equal responsibility for the tragic events and it would be wrong to differentiate between them when it came to sentencing.

He said: “(This was) a chase in which you both drove dangerously at speed with complete and utter disregard for the rules of the road and for the safety of other road users.

“And as far as you, Kibble, are concerned, without any thought for the safety of the three young men in the vehicle with you, who were tragically killed. Your behaviour that night was disgraceful and dangerous.”

Judge Gratwicke said that if the theft of the food had not taken place, Olgun would never have acted as he did, but his decision to chase Kibble's car on a road he knew to be dangerous, with “twists and bends” left him equally to blame.

He said: “This was a long and dangerous piece of driving over 1.7miles and as a direct result of your driving these three young men lost their lives.”

The judge said it was “merciful” that there were no other cars coming in the opposite direction during the moments leading up to the crash and that nobody else was hurt.

He added: “It must have been blindingly obvious how dangerous it was, and yet you both persisted in this mindless manner, with tragic consequences.

“No sentences that this court can impose can in any way alleviate the pain, agony and sense of loss that the families of these three young men feel.”

There were gasps and shouts of “yes” when the sentences were announced in the packed courthouse.

Judge Gratwicke later commended the friends and families of all involved for their “dignified” behaviour for the duration of the proceedings “under very difficult circumstances”.

Chief Inspector Tom Diment, senior investigating officer with Essex Police, said: “Nothing we or courts could do will ever bring back Danny, Chris and Richard, but it was necessary to investigate and prosecute this sort of criminal behaviour.

“Essex Police will continue to pursue such cases in a robust manner, with such behaviour, as displayed by Christopher Kibble and Sakir Olgun, not tolerated on our roads.”

Judge Gratwicke also disqualified both men from driving for 10 years and recommended the deportation of Olgun to Turkey following the completion of his sentence after the court heard that he was living illegally in the UK.