James Connell
·4-min read
WITH cries of 'justice' from a grieving mum, hundreds released balloons as part of a powerful protest against a 'lenient'sentence for the killer driver whoclaimed three lives in a fatal crash.
'It shows you how much they were loved," said one man as the balloons were released over Brickfields Park in Worcester at 6pmtonight, filling up the sky.
This protest was about love but also very much about 'justice' - or rather the perceived lack of it - followingthe deaths ofLeo Painter, six, child escortClaire Adkins, 39, and driver, Courtney Hemming, 26.
This is a community still raw from what they see as a 'soft' sentence,coming a week to the day after 34-year-old Joe-Lewis Tylerwas handed an 18 year prison termfor causing their deaths by dangerous driving.
MISSION: Ginge Adkins (foreground), husband of Claire who was killed in the crash, wants justice for his wife and mother to his three children (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)
Tyler ploughed into their taxi, killing all three, on the A44 Spetchley Road, near Worcester, on February 22. In a poignant touch, the three colours of balloons chosen each represented a life lost - green for Courtney, purple for Claire and yellow for Leo.
LOVED: Left to right: Leo Painter, Claire Adkins and Courtney Hemming are front and centre of the campaign for a tougher sentence for their 'selfish' and 'reckless' killer (Image: Supplied by families)
Many featuredpersonalised messages - the names of the victims and 'forever in our hearts'.
This was a protest attended by people of all ages, from mums with children in their arms to older people.
Families and friends of the victimsexpressed their disgust at the time the jail term was imposed but this was their way of coming together andprotesting againsta 'lenient' sentence.
COMMUNITY: People turned up from across Worcester to pay their respects but also to campaign for a longer sentence for triple killer Joe-Lewis Tyler (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)
With good behaviour, Tyler will serve just two thirds of the 18 year sentence (12 years),four years for every life hetook which friends and family say is 'just not enough'.
Among those to attend the protest was Claire's mum, Julia Earlam, who shouted 'justice for Claire, Courtney and Leo!' as she released the balloons.
The crowds followed her example and soon the summer evening was full of balloons, a measure both of the love the community felt for all three people but also a sign that nobody plans to give up the fight for what they see as a fair sentence for Tyler.
Not only was he speeding at 90mph in a 50mph on a wet and flooded road but was over the limit for drink and two drugs and the insurance had run out for the BMW he was driving.
KILLER: Joe-Lewis Tyler was jailed for 18 years at Worcester Crown Court after he crashed an uninsured BMW into a taxi, killing all three people inside (Image: West Mercia Police)
Julia Earlamsaid: "We knew it would be like this (the turnout). They have supported us all the way through it. It is just not enough of a sentence. We are hoping there is going to be a review of the sentence. We are not giving up. We can only try our best. He's destroyed all our lives."
STATEMENT: The balloon release was a powerful statement of the community's rejection of what they see as a 'soft' and 'lenient' sentence for killer driver Joe-Lewis Tyler who took three lives by his dangerous driving on the A44 Spetchley Road in Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)
Others to attend were Ginge Adkins, 43, husband of Claire and father of her three children, who came up with the idea of the balloon release as a visual representation of the families' and the community's profound disagreement with the sentence imposed.
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Luke Bridger, partner of Courtney whom he had intended to marry next year, and her mum were also present.
The Attorney General's office has now confirmed to the Worcester News it has received a request for Tyler's sentence to be reconsidered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Only one referral is needed for a case to be considered by the Law Officers.
The officers will have 28 days from the initial sentencingto consider the case and decide whether they should ask the Court of Appeal to review the sentence.
