Partner of pregnant mother killed by speeding driver welcomes sentence review

The partner of a pregnant mum killed by a boy racer on the M66 has welcomed a review into the defendant's sentence. Frankie Jules-Hough, 38, died in a crash in Bury in May after Adil Iqbal, 22, lost control of his father's BMW.

Iqbal had filmed himself reaching speeds of 123mph in the vehicle before it crashed into Ms Jules-Hough's Skoda Fabia, which had pulled over on the hard shoulder with a tyre puncture. Ms Jules-Hough, of Chadderton, Oldham, who was 17 weeks pregnant, suffered critical brain injuries.

Her unborn baby, who had been named Neeve, did not survive. Iqbal was sentenced to 12 years in prison last month after admitting to causing death by dangerous driving, and was banned from driving for 14 years.

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But Ms Jules-Hough's partner, Calvin Buckley, said this decision would now be reviewed following an appeal. Mr Buckley told the BBC: "I am happy that the appeal has been accepted.

"This is good news and hopefully the first step towards some form of justice for Frankie and Neeve."

Ms Jules-Hough's son, Thomas Spencer, nine, and nephew Tobias Welby, four, were also in the car during the incident. Both children spent weeks in intensive care after being left in a coma with serious brain injuries from the crash.

Iqbal, from Accrington, Lancashire, admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving on his sentencing. He had previously been convicted of driving without insurance in 2019, and had been given a police warning for racing on public roads two months before the crash.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said: "After careful consideration, the Solicitor General has referred this case