Madeleine Lonsdale, 18, “repeatedly” partied after killing two friends in a car crash
Madeleine Lonsdale, 18, “repeatedly” partied after killing two friends in a car crash
Emily Parker, Emily Carubia, Sophie Robinson and Press Association
22:01, 13 Mar 2026
A teenage driver who caused the deaths of two passengers while behind the wheel “repeatedly” partied and went on a skiing trip following her friends’ deaths, a court was told. Harrison Carter, 18, and George Stephenson, 17, who had just completed their A-level exams, died on June 20 last year following a crash in the Lincolnshire village of Marston.
Madeleine Lonsdale, 18, was at the wheel when her vehicle struck a tree, claiming the lives of the two teenagers who were travelling as passengers. In a separate incident following the tragedy, Lonsdale continued to drive dangerously, on one occasion racing another vehicle at 100mph while making a trip to a petrol station to purchase snacks, alcohol and vapes, Lincoln Crown Court was told.
The court also heard the teenager went on a skiing break, attended parties “repeatedly” and created choreographed TikTok videos in the months following the fatal crash. As Lonsdale stood in the dock on Friday, prosecutor Steven Taylor informed the court that the teenager’s Kia Niro left in the early morning hours bound for an Esso filling station, with Harrison Carter and George Stephenson as passengers, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Mr Taylor said: “She took a left turn down a rural country road and… down that road for a distance, evidently accelerated to over 70mph. In due course she failed to negotiate a right-hand bend further along the road.”
He added: “It appears she misjudged the distance to the first bend and failed to slow down at all on her approach.”
The court heard that the car was travelling at 76mph seconds before it collided with the tree, and landed on its side. The unlit road was subject to a 60mph limit, with a sign warning of the upcoming bend, Mr Taylor said.
Harrison Carter had sat in the front passenger seat, while George Stephenson sat directly behind him in the rear of the car. Mr Taylor said: “Both tragically suffered fatal injuries in the crash and were pronounced dead at the scene.”
Another car had been following Lonsdale’s, but was able to avoid the collision, the prosecutor told the court. Mr Taylor said Lonsdale and the other driver decided to “see how fast their respective vehicles could go” and “effectively raced each other” before the crash.
Sarah Carter said of her son Mr Carter, who wanted to pursue a career in law: “Harry was taken from us because Madeleine chose to speed. He will never be able to celebrate the amazing exam results that he achieved.”
Ms Carter said it “adds insult to injury” that Lonsdale was “partying repeatedly” and “choreographing TikToks” at the same time that she was planning her son’s funeral.
Victoria Stephenson, George’s mother, told the court: “We will never see him graduate or find a job after university. We didn’t get to celebrate his 18th birthday with him, instead we had his funeral.”
She said it “only added to the torment” when Lonsdale went on a skiing trip, which delayed her first court appearance by two weeks.
Defending Lonsdale, of Squires View, Long Bennington, Lincolnshire, John McNally said: “She knows that there is nothing she can say, do, to take the pain away. She knows it will weigh heavily on her for the rest of her life.
“Her regret for what happened is deep and … her friends will remain, and are, in her thoughts.”
The defendant, who passed her driving test about 12 weeks before the crash, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing the teenagers’ deaths by careless or inconsiderate driving at a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court in January. Lonsdale was sentenced to 14 months’ detention and has been disqualified from driving for three years.
