‘Invincible’ teen killed mate after rushing up once they requested her to decelerate

A teenage drink driver tragically killed her best mate by driving at more than double the speed limit, ignoring pleas to slow down.

Yasmin Martin, who was 17 at the time, was nearly twice over the drink drive limit and behind the wheel of a car she had never driven before when she decided to drive three pals home after a night out.

Despite cries from Mia Marsh, a childhood friend, and another girl to slow down, Martin became irate and floored it in December 2022, the court was told.

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One of the girls described Martin as acting “like she was invincible, like she can do what she wants and no one else is stopping her’. She lost control on a bend at more than 70mph in a 30mph zone, smashing into a crash barrier and killing 17-year-old Mia.

As Martin, now 19, of Aldwych Road, Sunderland, was jailed for eight years, Mia’s family attended Newcastle Crown Court wearing T-shirts showing a picture of the tragic teen.

Her mum, Danielle, was too distraught to attend the hearing but a victim impact statement from her was read to the court detailing her heart-wrenching loss, reports Chronicle Live.

She expressed feeling “stuck in a nightmare I can’t wake up from”, adding: “The pain we, as a family, are going through is unimaginable.”

Speaking heartbreakingly, Danielle reflected on the absence of her daughter Mia, imagining her just out and about before “reality kicks in at a million miles an hour.”

With palpable grief, she continued: “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”.

Profoundly moved, Danielle spoke further: “We will love Mia unconditionally until we meet again baby girl. Love you so much my Mia.”

The report then detailed how Martin, who triumphantly passed her driving test back in May 2022, found herself behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Astra rented by her father that very day. Unfamiliar with the vehicle and lacking insurance coverage for the drive, that fateful evening of Friday December 2 2022, ended up being far more than a maiden voyage.

Regarding Mia as her best mate since their early childhood days, Martin scooped her and two other pals up for a night out hitting six bars across Sunderland. Their revelry included rounds of Strongbow dark fruits, Jagerbombs, and vodka mixed with Red Bull.

An employee at one of the bars, when informed by Martin that her car was parked nearby, remarked “well I hope you’re not driving” as it was clear to him she was too drunk to drive. She insisted she wasn’t driving and ordered another drink.

At 12.47am, Martin staggered towards her car but was stopped from getting behind the wheel and ushered into the back seat. Mia took the driver’s seat and drove off.

After a pit stop for petrol, Martin, now irritable about Mia driving, took over.

The other girls in the car were alarmed by Martin’s speeding, none wearing seatbelts, with one urging the others to buckle up due to Martin’s erratic driving.

Despite Mia and another girl’s pleas for her to slow down, Martin hit the accelerator, seemingly enraged by their requests. One of the girls described her as trying to “prove she could drive like this” and acting “like she didn’t care,” “like she was invincible, like she can do what she wants and no one else is stopping her’. She lost control on a bend at more than 70mph in a 30mph zone, smashing into a crash barrier and killing 17-year-old Mia.

Martin owned up to causing death by dangerous driving and received an eight-year sentence, with a requirement to serve two-thirds behind bars. Additionally, she faces a five-year driving ban once she’s out.