A former mortgage company office worker has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison after being found guilty of causing the death of a 14-year-old boy while driving through a red light.

Evie Wiles, 25, who previously worked in mortgage administration, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving following a crash in Hemel Hempstead in February 2023.

She had been texting her partner while driving to a football match when she struck Christopher Arnett, who was crossing the road on his way home from playing with friends.

The case concluded at Luton Crown Court last week where Wiles was described as showing no emotion during sentencing or when addressed by the boy’s heartbroken parents.

STOLEN FUTURE

His father, Lee Arnett, said: “You’ve stolen his future. I will never forgive you.”

His mother Claire, a secondary school chemistry teacher, added: “You may as well have killed all of us.”

Wiles, who claimed the boy hadn’t used the crossing correctly, never called emergency services after the collision. The judge, Andrew Hatton, said Wiles had been “distracted by [her] phone” and had “failed entirely to observe the red light.”

Claire Arnett spoke of the trauma of not being able to hold her son’s hand when his life support was withdrawn the following day.

“I was there when he was born, and I was there when he died,” she said.

AWARENESS NEEDED

The family was represented in a civil case by Osbornes Law.

Their solicitor, Sam Collard, said: “While nothing can bring Christopher back, I hope that with legal proceedings now concluded, the family can begin to grieve in peace.”

The case has reignited calls for stronger awareness around distracted driving, particularly among professionals in high-responsibility sectors such as financial services.