Heartbroken mum 'appalled' by reckless driver's lack of remorse for crash that killed her 17-year-old daughter

Lily-May Vaughan was just 17. She loved animals, painting and going for walks with her mum Leanne and her beloved cocker spaniel, Sadie.

She was thriving at college as she trained in car bodywork repairs, with dreams of running her own business and, one day, living by the sea.

But, on February 4, 2023, the girl “with the world at her feet” had all of it snatched away by the dangerous, reckless actions of her boyfriend, Logan Addison.

After “dumping the clutch” of his Volkswagen Golf, revving and wheel-spinning away from the traffic lights in Shawbury village centre, he went “like f***” down a road known locally as Parry’s Lane before smashing into an electricity pole. He hit the post with such force he snapped it in half, and the car ended up on its roof.

Lily-May was pronounced dead at the scene. Addison broke his back in several places but survived after being airlifted to hospital.

Despite that, just a matter of weeks after killing his girlfriend and while her devastated family and friends were trying to fight through the pain every day, Addison was back behind the wheel of a car, doing doughnuts in a Tesco car park in Shrewsbury. 

And he was caught driving a car with unsafe brakes and a loose battery which could have caused a fire, as well as having a knife in his possession.

Police officers even questioned him on why he was behaving this way such a short time after he had killed his girlfriend.

Last month a jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court found Addison, of Hazels Drive, Shawbury, guilty of causing Lily-May’s death by dangerous driving. Today (Friday, June 20) he was put behind bars.

Leanne Vaughan, Lily-May’s mother, spoke to the Shropshire Star to tell how her daughter’s death, Addison’s courtroom denial and his lack of remorse have had a traumatic impact on her and her family.

“I’m always going to be heartbroken now.

“Lily-May was such a kind girl. I was hoping he really loved her and that she was so important to him like she was to us. But she was nothing [to him] was she?

“He went skipping out of court, hand in hand with his friend. I just don’t think he’s sorry or remorseful. 

“I am absolutely horrified and appalled that a young man would act like this.”

She added: “We’ve got to now live without Lily-May, who was our life. 

“She had her seatbelt on. She was doing the right thing. She wanted to live and her life’s been taken from her.

“Why was she not precious cargo that day? She should have been the most precious thing in his car.”

Leanne said she wants to share Lily-May’s story to “make people think twice” when it comes to how they drive.

She recalled the day Lily-May died, and the beginning of her “living nightmare”.

“Lily stayed away for the weekend with her boyfriend,” Leanne said. “We’d say goodbye on a Friday night and then she’d come back on Sunday night, ready for college and her job. 

“It was just a normal Saturday. 

“I had a missed call on my phone from West Mercia [Police]. I had a message that just said to ring them.

“I knew Lily wasn’t with us so I thought it was to do with her. 

“I phoned them back. They said there had been a collision. I said ‘oh my goodness, is she hurt?’ They said to me ‘it’s worse than that, she’s dead’. 

“I screamed and chucked my phone. I screamed for a solid hour. I was animal-like. I didn’t think I’d come back from that. 

“No mother ever wants to hear those words. It was like my whole insides were ripped out. I didn’t want to face it.

“My partner was saying ‘what’s the matter?’ To actually say the words that your daughter is dead makes it real. I couldn’t say the words.

“From then on it was just a living nightmare. I didn’t sleep for two solid weeks. 

“Everyone was great. The community all rallied round, but nobody can help you sleep.

“I’d get into bed and as soon as I’d shut my eyes, I’d just imagine the crack of her head on the post. That’d be it. I’d be up all night.”

Leanne added: “She was the light of my life. I felt like she’d been ripped from me. You’ve lost your child. There’s no other pain like it. 

“I never want anyone to experience it. It is literally like a part of me is gone now.

“I’ll never be that Leanne again. I really did feel blessed to have Lily-May. The moment I had her she was a special child. She was so loved.