Woman Devastated as Drug Driver Who Killed Her Family Is Freed Early
A woman whose entire family was wiped out by a drug-addled driver speeding at nearly 100 miles per hour has expressed profound disillusionment with the justice system after the perpetrator was released from prison after serving just three years of a ten-and-a-half-year sentence.
Triple Fatal Crash on Norfolk's A47
Aurelijus Cielevicius, 43, was flown back to his native Lithuania last month under the controversial Early Removal Scheme (ERS). This occurred despite being sentenced to a decade and a half in prison for causing the deaths of Paul Carter, 41, his wife Lisa Carter, 49, and her daughter Jade Mace, 25, in a horrific collision on January 15, 2023.
The crash happened on the A47 in North Runcton, near King's Lynn, Norfolk. Cielevicius, who was already on police bail and subject to a curfew at the time, had consumed crystal meth, cannabis, and M-Cat. He was driving his BMW X5 on the wrong side of the road, overtaking another vehicle at 96 miles per hour, when he careered into the family's Vauxhall Mokka. Miraculously, Cielevicius escaped with only two broken ribs, while all three occupants of the other vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.
"My Heart Shattered" – A Grieving Daughter's Anguish
Summer Mace, 26, who lost her mother, sister, and stepfather in the crash, told the BBC she feels utterly failed by the system. "Three years and one month is all he served for killing three people," she said. "My heart shattered – broken into a million pieces, because yet again my family have been failed. These people who make these decisions have decided my family's lives were only worth that much."
Summer described her family as her entire support network. They lived together in Gedney, near Holbeach, with four dogs, chickens, and a cat. She shared an exceptionally close bond with her sister Jade. "Jade growing up was my best friend. We were the sort of sisters you are a bit jealous of because we were so close. It's just weird being here without them. They were the three people who meant the most to me," she added.
Controversial Early Release Scheme Under Scrutiny
Cielevicius was jailed at Norwich Crown Court after admitting three counts of causing death by dangerous driving. The then-39-year-old was also given a further four years on extended licence and disqualified from driving for eight years.
His early release was facilitated by the ERS, which enables foreign nationals to be removed from prison early for deportation. Offenders are not subject to further imprisonment after removal but are barred from ever returning to the UK and are liable to serve the remainder of their sentence if they do.
The government introduced changes to this system last year, allowing prisoners to be removed after serving just 30% of their sentence, down from the previous threshold of 50%.
Victim's Family "The Last to Know"
Summer Mace said she learned Cielevicius might be eligible for the scheme last October. Her MP, James Wild, raised the issue with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions on February 11. On February 20, Mr. Wild received a letter from Lord Timpson, the prisons minister, which stated Cielevicius was eligible but did not confirm a decision had been made.
Shockingly, on February 23, the family was informed by authorities that the triple killer had been deported that very morning. "Yet again as victims we were the last to know," Summer said. "The minister must have known on the Friday that he was going to be deported."
A government spokesperson described the crime as "abhorrent" and stated: "All foreign national offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity, and will be barred from ever returning to the UK."
This case has ignited fresh debate about the balance between justice for victims and the administration of early release schemes for foreign national offenders.
