THE family of a Williton teenager killed in car crash on the A358 near Crowcombe said this week that nothing could compensate for the loss of their daughter.

They were speaking after the driver of the car, Charlie Blandford-Corp, 18, was given a four-month suspended prison sentence for causing Bethany Paige Adams' death by driving without due care and attention.

Bethany's parents Helen and Mark and sister Danielle were in court when Blandford-Corp appeared before Taunton Deane Magistrates on Monday for sentencing, having admitted the offence at an earlier hearing.

The magistrates said the offence could only warrant a custodial sentence but suspended the prison term for 18 months and also ordered Blandford-Corp to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and imposed an electronic 12-week curfew between 9pm and 5am.

Blandford-Corp was already the subject of an 18-month driving ban imposed at the earlier hearing in July and was told he would have to sit an extended driving test before getting his licence back.

After the case, Mr and Mrs Adams said all they had wanted was an apology from Blandford-Corp:

"No sentence would be justice for what he has taken away from us all and nothing is going to bring Bethany back.

"All we wanted was for him to accept that what he has done is 100 per cent his responsibility and to say sorry for taking our beautiful daughter. But, no, nothing.

"He has never said sorry to us for what he did. We want people to know we have never had an apology from him."

Mr and Mrs Adams said they were now planning to launch a road safety campaign for young people in memory of their daughter.

"We are going to campaign to make sure young inexperienced drivers are aware of the consequences of driving carelessly and will make sure that Bethany's memory lives on for ever," the couple said.

"This was not an accident because accidents don't just happen; this was because someone chose to drive carelessly and take an innocent life in the process."

During the hearing, magistrates broke with the usual court proceedings to give Blandford-Corp the chance to speak from the dock, and he told the court he had been "devastated" by the accident.

Julian Stephens, prosecuting, said there was no evidence to suggest Blandford-Corp had been speeding at the time of the crash, although the speedometer of his Citroen Saxo was stuck on 66mph.

He said the speed limit on the road was 60mph and witnesses had seen Blandford-Corp's car straddle the white lines as he tried to negotiate the bend at the bottom of Halsway Hill.

The court was told Blandford-Corp and Miss Adams had been in a relationship for just three weeks and were returning from Taunton when the crash happened at 3pm on January 7 this year.

Mr Stephens said Blandford-Corp, who had only passed his driving test four months earlier, had "over-corrected" his car as he rounded the corner before hitting a tree and rolling the vehicle.

He said the best estimate of his minimum speed at the point of impact was 58 miles an hour.

"The police have gone to great lengths to try and prove his exact speed," Mr Stephens said.

"There was no data that allowed the accurate speed to be taken.

"The charge would have been different if there was hard evidence of speeding."

Mr Stephens said Miss Adams died almost immediately at the scene, while Blandford-Corp suffered shock and bruising.

"He had a disregard for the road conditions and the hazard markings on the road. They are there for a reason," he said.

"It is not the road that is dangerous, it is the people who are using it."

Blandford-Corp was just 17 when the accident happened and had co-operated fully with the police in the wake of the crash, the court head

Immediately after the collision, he told a witness at the scene: "I was going too fast for the road."

Kieran Hughes, defending, said his client was genuinely remorseful and would have feelings of guilt about what he had done for the rest of his life.

"As he approached the bend he realised he was drifting over the white line and was about half over.

"He sees an oncoming vehicle and he panics. He over-compensates due to a lack of experience.

"He concedes he was driving too fast for that bend. He turned the wheel too much which caused the vehicle to spin and the crash occurred.

"He wasn't driving over the speed limit; he was driving too fast and over-compensated and it's clearly his fault," Mr Hughes said.

He said the accident was due to Blandford-Corp's inexperience as he was a newly qualified driver and had failed to judge his speed correctly.

Mr Hughes said: "He was absolutely devastated. He fully co-operated with police and he knew he was at fault.

"He fully accepts he was driving too fast and he turned the steering wheel too sharply.

"This is a person who has never even spoken to a policeman before and then find himself at the centre of a tragedy.

"He wishes he could turn the clock back."

The court was told Blandford-Corp had no previous convictions and currently worked as a farm labourer.

He was warned that if he breached any element of his sentence or committed another offence over the next 18 months he faced the real risk of being sent to prison.

Mr and Mrs Adams said they were glad the court proceedings were now over, and added: "We would like to say thank you to all our family, friends, Bethany's friends and the police for all their continued support.

"Bethany was such an amazing girl and her loss has had such a huge impact on all those that know and love her.

"We love you Bethany our beautiful, loving and caring daughter and sister and would like to thank you for the most amazing 17 years that you blessed our lives. Keep smiling Bethany."