The family of a 10-year-old girl who was hit and killed by a cocaine-fuelled driver say they are in ‘total shock’ after he had his jail sentence cut.   

Gavin Prodger, 55, ploughed into Lily Lockwood in his speeding Audi as she made her way to buy sweets with her friends in Dartford, Kent, in 2021. 

The schoolgirl was placed on a life support machine, but heartbreakingly died two days later on July 12. 

Former taxi driver Prodger – who was found to have defective eyesight and was using his phone in the minutes before hitting Lily – was jailed for 12 years in October 2023 and ordered to serve a minimum of eight years behind bars. 

But now the child killer driver has had four years cut from his sentence, with a 17-year driving ban being reduced to 13 years and eight months following an appeal to the Royal Courts of Justice. 

Lily’s grieving mother, Nicola Waters, attended the hearing last Friday alongside family members and said she is in disbelief. 

‘I feel like Lily has been let down by the justice system. It is like she never got justice in the first place,’ she said. 

‘I thought that part was over with, but now it has brought it all back.’

The Brent Primary School pupil’s grandmother, Kim Wilkins, said that the judge reduced the sentence, claiming the previous ruling had been taken too far.

She said: ‘It is a kick in the guts for us all. We were in total shock.

‘They said he was really struggling in prison, and he only spoke to his son on the phone as he cannot bear him coming to visit.

‘He is lucky he gets to speak to his son, as he took that away from us with Lily.

‘They were making him out to be a saint, and said he showed remorse, but he still killed my granddaughter.’

CCTV footage showed Lily had carefully checked to see if the road was clear in Watling Street before Prodger ploughed into her, travelling at a speed of 47mph in a 30mph zone, at around 6.50pm on July 10, 2021.

Prodger had been using his phone in the minutes before the accident on July 10, 2021 and had 57.8 gms of cocaine in the footwell of the vehicle. 

He performed badly in an impairment test and was arrested by officers at the roadside. 

Tests revealed Prodger, of Rochester, was seven times over the legal limit when he was tested five hours after the accident.

Analysis of samples taken whilst Prodger was in custody identified he had a combination of drugs in his system whilst driving.

He was charged and later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed limit for cocaine and benzoylecgonine, and to possession of cocaine.

A memorial bench for Lily was unveiled last year outside Dartford Fire Station.