Mother of Girl Killed by Drink-Driver States Family Cannot Celebrate Christmas, Campaigns for “Sharlotte’s Law”

The mother of a six-year-old girl, who was killed by a driver under the influence of alcohol and drugs, has stated that her family remains unable to celebrate Christmas more than three years subsequent to her death. Sharlotte Naglis died in June 2021 when John Owen’s vehicle mounted the pavement in Stoke-on-Trent. Mr. Owen, who was 44 years old at the time, received a sentence of six years and two months in prison in 2022, following his admission of causing death by dangerous driving. Claire Reynolds, Sharlotte’s mother, expressed that she continues to struggle to “get out of bed every day and survive.” She further stated, “I’m not the same mum that I used to be,” adding, “There’s things I can’t do. We still don’t celebrate Christmas.” Ms. Reynolds’ comments coincided with a nationwide Christmas campaign by police forces, which emphasized the hazards associated with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Inspector Anton Sullivan of Cheshire Police remarked, “It’s much better value for money paying for a taxi, than the consequences you’re going to have to live with for the rest of your life if you kill somebody.” Sharlotte was on the pavement of Endon Road in Norton, accompanied by her father, when Mr. Owen’s vehicle, traveling at speed, went out of control. The six-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the location. The family’s distress was prolonged due to the inability to test Mr. Owen’s blood for a period of 11 weeks, as he was in a coma. Ms. Reynolds recalled the situation as “horrendous,” stating that she felt as though she had descended “deeper and deeper into this black hole.” Ultimately, the test results indicated that Mr. Owen’s system contained twice the specified limit of cocaine and 146 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, exceeding the legal limit of 80 milligrams. Following her challenge to Mr. Owen’s sentence, Ms. Reynolds has initiated a campaign for the implementation of “Sharlotte’s Law,” a measure that would permit the testing of blood samples from suspects without their consent. This legislative proposal has garnered support from Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the road safety charity Brake, and was recently brought before Parliament by David Williams, the MP for Stoke-on-Trent North. Ms. Reynolds commented, “It’s very reassuring that things are moving,” adding, “It was really stressful when we had the change of government – I didn’t know what was going to happen.” Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, indicated that the government is presently reviewing potential amendments to motoring offences. According to Ms. Reynolds, the enactment of “Sharlotte’s Law” would provide her with a degree of closure. She stated, “The grieving goes on the backburner,” and continued, “When this is over, maybe that’s when I’ll start to grieve and maybe that’s when it’ll start to get easier.”