A TEENAGER with a “history of showing off” killed three of his pals in a horror crash, a court heard.

Edward Spencer, now 19, was driving a Ford Fiesta near Shipston, Warwickshire, when he smashed into a Fiat 500, killing Harry Purcell, 17, Matilda “Tilly” Seccombe, 16, and Frank Wormald, 16.

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Edward Spencer pictured outside Warwick Crown Court ahead of his sentencing in AprilCredit: SWNS
 

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Matilda ‘Tilly’ Seccombe was one of three teens killed in the crashCredit: SWNS
 

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Harry Purcell tragically passed away the day after the crashCredit: SWNS
Spencer, who was 17 at the time, was driving his pals away from Chipping Campden School when the crash took place.

Harry and Tilly died the day after the smash, while Frank passed away two days later.

Spencer admitted causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving and the teen also pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving.

Now, an assistant coroner has blasted “selfie culture” for potentially contributing to a spate of road deaths among young people.

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Assistant coroner Linda Lee said she would be issuing a Prevention of Future Deaths report following the heartbreaking case.

Ms Lee told Coventry Coroner’s Court she may write to the Government and key insurance bodies to flag serious concerns raised by the tragedy.

Ms Lee told the court that motoring death inquests she had handled in the past “used to involve racing” – but now often featured “silly things (like) taking selfies”.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Tilly’s mum Juliet, 53, described how she had discovered Snapchat messages about a previous near-miss that her daughter had sent Spencer.

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Mrs Seccombe, who runs a soft furnishings business, said she found worrying messages while searching for photos for her daughter’s funeral.

She told the court: “Tilly was having a go at Edward. She wrote, ‘You could have rolled the car, and I will kill you if we don’t die ourselves’.”

Her husband James, 55, a parish councillor, claimed he had seen another message Tilly sent to a friend shortly before the crash in which she chillingly wrote: “It won’t be long for me with Ed’s driving.”

Mr Seccombe told the coroner his daughter was “very single-minded”.

He added: “She thought she could probably deal with it on her own rather than come to me, and probably thought that if I knew, she would be straight back on the school bus.

“We know from the evidence his behaviour was far from acceptable.

“I do not believe she was killed by inexperience; she was killed by blatant stupidity.”

The court heard how Spencer had a “history of bad driving” since he passed his test, evidenced by social media posts and videos.

One showed Spencer passing a mobility scooter at more than 50mph in the weeks prior to the crash on the B4035 between Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, and Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, the court heard.

Another showed him bragging about reversing so fast that he was “going to crash”.

And solicitor Patrick Maguire, representing Harry’s family, urged her to also contact social media giants, after highlighting online videos showing Spencer’s reckless driving.

Mr Maguire told the court that similar clips from other drivers are still circulating online, suggesting social media companies may have a “duty to take this material down” as it “subconsciously validates and encourages others to copy that driving”.

Spencer was handed a 24-month sentence to be spent in a young offenders’ institution back in April.

He was also given an eight-year driving ban and ordered to take an extended driving test when he applies for his licence back.

CHILLING CRASH

The Seccombe family, from Preston-on-Stour in Warwickshire, joined by Mr Maguire on behalf of the Purcells, called for the Government to introduce tough new rules for newly-qualified drivers to “mitigate the risk” they pose to themselves, their passengers and the public.

Mrs Seccombe added: “It is showing off. The videos get likes and comments, which drives the requirement.”

The court heard that just weeks before the fatal crash, Tilly had messaged Spencer raising fears about his driving — and he had chillingly replied: “Don’t underestimate me.”

The families said graduated driving licences must be introduced, restricting the number of passengers new drivers can carry in the months after passing their test. They added that mandatory black boxes would help “incentivise good driving”.

Prosecutor Timothy Harrington said Spencer had a “history of bad driving, of showing off, taking risks, driving too quickly and failing to heed the warnings of those in the car with him.”

The court heard Spencer “violently swerved” across the road after hitting a verge and spinning out of control, with his passengers taking the brunt of the impact.

Two children aged 10 and 12, who were travelling in the Fiat, suffered life-changing injuries in the horror last April.

An expert estimated Spencer was travelling at 64mph at the time on the road, which has a 60mph limit.

In April, the judge described the victims as “exemplars” and noted that Spencer had demonstrated a “cavalier attitude to road safety“.

The judge added that while the speed limit was 60mph on the road, driving at a safe speed would be a “long way” from that.

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He told the court: “It was an act of pure folly to drive at a speed even close to 60mph (the limit).

“This was a road you knew and you knew the hazards on it but that knowledge did not cause you to slow down.”

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Frank Wormald was being driven home from school when the horror unfoldedCredit: Gofundme
 

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Two children in another car were left with life-changing injuriesCredit: SWNS