THE mother of a young woman severely injured in a crash last year has said that drink-drive sentences must be ‘much tougher’ to reflect the impact on the victims’ lives.

Olivia Boxall and Harry Maywood were travelling back to Looe just after midnight on September 5, 2019, when a car driven by Alex Ashburne collided with theirs head-on near Pelynt.

Both Olivia and Harry were taken to Derriford Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Harry suffered a severe head injury, abdominal injuries and two collapsed lungs. He spent several months in hospital learning to eat, walk and speak again, and has sustained neurological injury from which he is still recovering.

Olivia sustained a broken back in nine places, a fractured sternum, a broken arm, and serious internal injuries: she had to have two major surgeries to repair her bowel.

At Truro Crown Court the court heard how Mr Ashburne, 41, of Burnley, Lancashire, had been more than two times over the drink-drive limit when a sample was taken several hours after the collision.

Mr Ashburne sustained a broken hip, broken leg and abdominal injuries in the crash.

He was sentenced to two years in prison for each count of causing injury by dangerous driving, with these sentences to run concurrently, and to two months’ imprisonment for drink driving, also to run concurrently. He has been disqualified from driving for three years, after which he must sit an extended re-test before being allowed to drive again.

After the crash, there was a huge upswell in local support for the two young people and their families. An appeal for the Cornwall Air Ambulance’s new helicopter was launched, and this raised around £31,000, including around £12,400 raised through the Looe 10 Miler event in February.

Olivia’s mum, Sophie Boxall, said: “Olivia continues to make good progress in her recovery and is keen for life to get back to normal, she is working part time as her back pain allows.”

She said that the family were glad that the court case had been heard and was finished, but that they felt the punishment imposed “did not feel fitting for the life-changing injuries that the two young people had sustained”.

“Harry and Olivia will have a lifetime of recovery, while he will be in prison for 18 months.”

The charity Brake says that one in eight deaths on the road are caused by drink driving.

“Until the law surrounding drink driving changes, people will continue to get injured and worse,” Sophie continued. “People need to take responsibility for their actions.”