Martin Li jailed for 130mph crash in Northumberland has jail term cut Published duration 16 May 2014

image copyright Northumbria Police image caption Martin Li was driving at 130mph in 60mph zone when his passenger was killed

A man who killed a teenage girl in a crash while he was driving at 130mph has had his jail term reduced because he is sorry.

Car mechanic Martin Li was jailed for eight years for causing the death by dangerous driving of his back seat passenger Lucy Duggan, 18, in 2013.

But a Court of Appeal judge ruled the sentence "excessive" and cut it to six years and four months.

The hearing heard the 22-year-old car mechanic, of Hexham, had shown remorse.

'Floored accelerator'

Miss Duggan, of Wall, Northumberland, was killed in the head-on crash on the A695 at Dilston, Northumberland, on 25 August.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Li was driving at 130mph in a 60mph zone.

image copyright Northumbria Police image caption Lucy Duggan was in the back seat of the car at the time of the crash

He was jailed after admitting six driving offences and banned from driving for 10 years. But this was also reduced to five after the judges said it would harm his chances of getting work.

The hearing heard Li "floored" the accelerator, at one point overtaking two vehicles in a single manoeuvre, and said the bends were his "favourite bit".

'Genuine remorse'

As he approached a sharp left turn, he crossed over to the other side of the road but, after returning to the correct side of the road, he skidded across the carriageway and smashed into an oncoming vehicle, the court heard.

Two of Li's other passengers and a mother and daughter in the other car were seriously hurt in the crash.

Judge Eleri Rees said: "We have been persuaded that insufficient credit was afforded for the personal mitigation of the appellant, in particular his genuine remorse."