Who Is Liberty Mitchell? Woman Who Filmed Snapchat Speeding Videos Before Deadly Crash

Liberty Mitchell, a young driver from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, has returned to public attention after the Court of Appeal increased her prison sentence for a fatal crash that killed two people in Gloucestershire.

The 21-year-old's jail term was extended from six years and eight months to nine years and three months after the attorney general referred the case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

According to reports, the appeal heard that Mitchell had shared Snapchat videos showing dangerous driving in the days before the December 2022 collision, which prosecutors said demonstrated her disregard for road safety.

Who Is Liberty Mitchell?

Liberty Mitchell is a young British woman from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, whose name became widely known after a fatal high-speed crash in Gloucestershire in December 2022. According to reports, she was 18 at the time of the collision and had passed her driving test just three weeks earlier.

Mitchell, who worked as a self-employed domestic cleaner, later attracted further attention after police uncovered Snapchat videos showing her driving at excessive speeds in the days leading up to the crash.

Sentence Increased After Court of Appeal Ruling

The court heard she was driving her Mini Cooper at about 96mph in a 60mph zone when she attempted to overtake three vehicles at once on the wrong side of the road. She then tried to abandon the manoeuvre but collided with a taxi, triggering a multi-vehicle crash.

Taxi driver Octavian Codreanu died at the scene, while passenger Moyra Whelan, a 35-year-old history teacher travelling to a friend's wedding, later died in hospital. Six other people were injured, including three who suffered serious injuries.

Mitchell admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of causing death by driving while uninsured and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. She was also disqualified from driving for more than eight years and ordered to take an extended driving test before regaining her licence.

Snapchat Speeding Videos Featured in Mitchell Case

Evidence presented during the case included several Snapchat videos recovered by Gloucestershire Police that showed Mitchell driving dangerously before the fatal collision.

One clip allegedly showed her travelling at around 100mph along a country road. Another clip captured her steering onto the opposite side of the carriageway towards oncoming traffic, while passengers urged her to stop.

Other footage reportedly showed her filming herself while driving one-handed and using social media filters behind the wheel.

The videos were cited during court proceedings as evidence of a pattern of reckless driving rather than an isolated mistake.

Attorney General Welcomed Longer Prison Sentence

Following the Court of Appeal ruling, Attorney General Ellie Reeves KC said Mitchell's actions had claimed two lives and left several others with life-changing injuries.

She said Mitchell had previously filmed herself speeding and posted the footage on social media, demonstrating a disregard for the danger she posed to other road users. Reeves welcomed the decision to increase the sentence and expressed sympathy to the families of those killed and injured.

The appeal judges agreed the original prison term was unduly lenient, increasing Mitchell's sentence to nine years and three months.

The case has drawn widespread attention because of the role social media evidence played in the prosecution. Road safety campaigners have also pointed to it as a reminder of the dangers posed by excessive speed, inexperienced drivers and filming while behind the wheel.

Mitchell remains in prison serving the increased sentence, while the deaths of Octavian Codreanu and Moyra Whelan continue to be cited as a tragic example of the devastating consequences of dangerous driving.