Driver who was high on cocaine when he killed 10-year-old girl as she crossed the road in Dartford is jailed for 12 years

• Lily Lockwood died after she was hit by Gavin Prodger’s Audi in Dartford, Kent
• Prodger will have to serve a minimum term of eight years behind bars

A driver who was high on cocaine when he killed 10-year-old Lily Lockwood as she crossed the road has been jailed for 12 years. 

Little Lily was on her way to her local park in Dartford, Kent, to play with her friends when Gavin Prodger, high on the class A drug, hit her with his speeding Audi. 

CCTV footage showed Lily had carefully checked to see if the road was clear in Watling Street before Prodger ploughed into her, travelling at a speed of 47mph in a 30mph zone, at around 6.50pm on July 10, 2021.

The schoolgirl was rushed to hospital where she later died. 

Prodger, 50, performed badly in an impairment test and he was arrested by officers at the roadside. 

Lily Lockwood, 10, died in hospital after she was hit by a speeding Audi as she crossed the road as she made her way to the local park to play with her friends in Dartford, Kent

Gavin Prodger, 50, of Beaulieu Rise, Rochester, was high on cocaine and was sending a photograph on his phone when he hit the schoolgirl with his car. He has been jailed for 12 years

Kent Police officers later discovered he had defective eyesight and was using his mobile phone to send a photograph in the moments leading up to the crash. 

READ MORE: Driver who was high on coke when he killed schoolgirl, 10, has been convicted of two further drug-driving offences while waiting for case to come to court

Analysis of samples taken whilst Prodger was in custody identified he had a combination of drugs in his system whilst driving.

He was charged and later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed limit for cocaine and benzoylecgonine, and to possession of cocaine. 

Tonight, Prodger, of Beaulieu Rise, Rochester, is beginning a 12 year jail term after being sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court today. He will have to serve a minimum of eight years behind bars before he can apply for parole. 

He will also have an additional two years to serve on licence once he is released. In addition, Prodger has been disqualified from driving until 2040 and his Audi has been forfeited.

In a victim impact statement, her mother Nicola Waters describe the heart-breaking  final hours she spent with her daughter in hospital before her life-support was switched off, the BBC reported. 

‘I told her time and time again that I Ioved her. I kept telling her I was sorry that I could not save her,’ she said.

‘I could not begin to imagine a life without Lily in it. It is a nightmare that I cannot wake up from.’

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Lee Berridge, said: ‘Prodger’s decision to drive that day cost a young child her life and left a family in mourning for the loss of their little girl. 

In a victim-impact statement, Lily’s mother Nicola Waters describe the heart-breaking final hours she spent with her daughter in hospital before her life-support was switched off

‘Not only was Prodger under the influence of class A drugs, he was also speeding, had a known eyesight condition and was using his mobile phone.

‘These critical decisions meant his ability to drive was seriously impaired, he posed a significant risk to other motorists and pedestrians, and was unable to respond in good time to avoid a tragic collision. 

‘His sentence should serve as a lesson to others who disregard the dangers of driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

‘Their selfish actions can have appalling consequences. I can only hope that the conclusion of this trial allows Lily’s family some closure, knowing that the person responsible for her death is now serving a prison sentence.’

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