She screamed at her drunk friend to slow down moments before fatal crash

A teen drunk driver put her foot down after her terrified friends begged her to slow down. Yasmin Martin was almost double the drink drive limit when she sped down a 30mph street at 70mph.

The 19-year-old, who was 17 at the time, was driving home in a Vauxhall Astra - which she had never driven before - following a night out on December 2, 2022. Her friend Mia Marsh and two other girls were passengers in the vehicle, and begged Martin to slow down as her driving became faster, a court heard.

But Martin increased her speed further before losing control at a bend on the A1231 between the Spire Bridge and the Queen Alexander Bridge in Sunderland, Chronicle Live reports. The car veered onto the wrong side of the road and smashed into a barrier, fatally injuring Mia.

READ MORE: Man describes scene of tragic accident after he saw 'distressed' workman going past his window

READ MORE: Dad who repeatedly punched woman jailed and released on same day

Martin pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, and appeared at Newcastle Crown Court this week. One of the passengers said Martin seemed to want to prove she could drive in a dangerous manner and that it was 'like she was invincible, like she can do what she wants and no one else is stopping her'.

Martin, who had passed her driving test in May 2022, was driving a Vauxhall Astra which her dad had hired that day. She had no experience of driving it, and was not insured to do so. She picked up Mia, whom she had known since nursery school, and two other friends and visited six bars in Sunderland, where they drank pints of Strongbow dark fruits, Jagerbombs, and vodka and Red Bulls.

An employee at one of the bars, when told by Martin her car was parked nearby, said 'well I hope you're not driving' because it was obvious to him she was in no fit state to drive due to her intoxication. She said she was not driving and ordered a drink.

At 12.47am, Martin walked towards the car but was prevented from getting in the driver's seat and told to get in the back. Mia drove the car away. After stopping for fuel, Martin took over driving after becoming 'fussy' over the fact Mia was driving.

The two other girls said Martin was driving too fast. None of them were wearing seatbelts and one of the girls told the others to put them on due to the manner of Martin's driving.

Mia and one of the other girls shouted at Martin to slow down but she ignored those requests and instead increased her speed, seeming to become angry at being told to slow down. One of the girls said she accelerated and appeared to have the attitude that she could 'prove she could drive like this' and 'like she didn't care', 'like she was invincible, like she can do what she wants and no one else is stopping her'.

CCTV of the crash was played to the court, along with a picture of the state of the car afterwards. The footage showed the Astra was going between 75mph and 80mph in a 30mph zone as it left the west-bound carriageway and crossed the central reservation.

Investigations showed the crash was caused by the excessive speed the car was being driven at by Martin while under the influence of alcohol. She was almost twice the drink drive limit, and initially claimed an 'old man' had spiked her drink. But a trawl of CCTV at the bars where she had been proved this to be a lie.

Attending the court, Mia's family wore T-shirts showing a picture of the teenager. In a victim statement, her mum Danielle said she feels 'stuck in a nightmare I can't wake up from', adding: "The pain we, as a family, are going through is unimaginable.

"We want her here and now. We don't want her as a memory. We still think one day she will come bouncing back through the door singing and being cheerful like she was. We miss Mia an unbelievable amount, our hearts are forever broken. Mia was only 17 when she was tragically taken from us. She had her whole life to look forward to. You never know how if feels to lose a child or a sister until it happens to you."

She added: "Due to her injuries no one was allowed to identify her and she had to have a closed coffin. This made me doubt if it was really Mia and if it was a horrible mistake... We will love Mia unconditionally until we meet again baby girl. Love you so much my Mia."

Martin pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for eight years, of which she must serve two-thirds in custody. She will be banned from driving for five years after she is released from prison.

Judge Christopher Prince said Martin had told the author of a pre-sentence report the other girls got into the car knowing she had been drinking. But he said: "They didn't know you were going to drive in the manner you did. They expected you to take care of them."

Matthew Bean, defending, said: "Yasmin Martin accepts full responsibility for what happened that day. Mia Marsh was, at the time, her closest friend and she will have to live with the fact she caused her death.

"There is genuine remorse for what she has done. She regrets her decision and will have to live with her decision for the rest of her life and the fact she has caused suffering and pain to Mia's family."

Mr Bean said Martin has an 11-month-old daughter, for whom she has been to sole carer and who will now be cared for by her grandmother while Martin is in prison. He added: "She wishes she could turn back the clock and make good the wrong she caused."