Stock: Dangerous driver jailed after schoolboy killed in collision

A lengthy investigation into a fatal collision that left one teenage boy dead and another with life-long injuries has resulted in the perpetrator being jailed.

Our Serious Collision Investigation Unit carried out extensive enquiries following a collision involving a vehicle driven by 26-year-old Stephen Mahebadevan in Stock Road, Stock, on the morning of 3 November 2023.

At around 8.20am, Freddie Coleman, 15, and a second teenage boy were walking to school on a footpath running alongside the road.

Mahebadevan, driving a red Suzuki Swift, approached at speed, lost control while attempting to negotiate a left-hand bend, mounted the footpath and struck both boys.

Freddie was knocked into the path of an oncoming van. The van driver had no time to react or avoid a collision.

Emergency services attended and worked to save Freddie, but tragically he died at the scene.

The second boy suffered life-changing injuries.

Our investigation analysed the vehicles involved, dashcam footage, CCTV and witness statements to establish as clear a picture as possible of what caused Mahebadevan’s loss of control.

One witness described seeing the Suzuki travelling “like a missile, absolutely flying”.

A speed analysis report concluded that Mahebadevan was travelling at 67mph in a 30mph limit shortly before the collision.

He was subsequently charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Mahebadevan, of Orford Crescent, Chelmsford, admitted both charges when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday 5 January.

At the same court on Friday 6 February, he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. 

He was further disqualified from driving for 13 years.

In a statement read to the court, Freddie’s mum and dad – Joanna and Jason – described Friday 3 November as “the worst and darkest day of their lives”.

Describing Freddie, Joanna said:

“Freddie was liked a lot. He was good fun and a fabulous, loyal friend.
“Everyone, young and old, knew and liked Fred and his mates.
“We have a chip van that would come round every Thursday night. It was the highlight of the week. Fred always made sure to be home to get his grandparents’ fish and chips, as they only live four doors away from us.”

She reflected on the strong community spirit in the “amazing village” of Stock.

Following Freddie’s death, she recalled how “the flowers were piling up everywhere”, adding:

“The house looked like a florist. Friends and neighbours sent food and drink. My freezer was overloaded with home-made lasagne, cottage pie and all sorts – but none of us could eat.
“Baskets of fruit arrived, candles, charms… It was amazingly kind of everyone.
“Fred was loved by so many people in the village. I have kept every gift and card. I keep memory boxes in Fred’s bedroom so I, and anyone else, can read them.
“[The family] decided to walk en masse to the bus stop.
“I had heard that the tributes and flowers were growing fast. My dad held my arm on the way.
“It was the same walk I’d done two days earlier to find my son dead.
“There were so many flowers we had to move them up to the church green, just a little way up the road.”

Freddie’s siblings, Daisy-May, Hazel and Jack, described how the events of 3 November 2023 cost their family “their complete sense of being, shattering their whole world”.

Daisy-May said:

“My brother was one of the kindest young boys I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving wholeheartedly.
“He was just at the start of his young adult life, full of happiness and love, with a big group of friends and family who loved him very much.
“The impact on me personally has been the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with.”

Hazel added:

“My brother had the type of laugh that would automatically have you laughing with him, he was so funny, he had the sweetest soul and the kindest heart.
“Freddie had just begun to see life in a new perspective. He was finishing school, had the chance to start driving, get his first job, and it kills me he’s missed out on one of the best times in life.
“The day Freddie died, it was like the world stopped spinning, and it hasn’t spun since he left.
“I didn’t realise how much I appreciated him, until he was gone.”

Jack said: 

“Fred meant everything to me and to our family. He was full of life and joy. He was cheeky, funny, and warm-hearted.
“He had a kindness that came naturally to him. He brought light into every room he walked into, and now that light has been violently taken from us… I want people to remember Fred. Remember the boy he was, the joy he brought and the future he never got to live.
“He should be remembered for his life, not for the way it ended. Fred mattered. He still matters. Our lives will never be the same without him.”

The mother of the second teenage boy, who must remain anonymous, said the tragedy of that day has “fundamentally changed our family’s life”.

She added:

“Most days, I don’t know whether I want to scream or cry.
“I am angry that so much pain and grief has been caused… I fail to understand why someone would drive so fast through our village and cause such devastation.
“The impact of that day will stay with us forever.
“[My son] left home on 3 November 2023 and did not return for almost a month. He returned to us a completely different child.”

Detective Sergeant Sam Nason, who has led our investigation from the outset, said:

“I would like to recognise the strength and patience shown by the families and friends of both victims in this awful case.
“I know it has been an agonising wait for justice, for answers and for accountability, but we have never given up in our investigation as we worked to gather the best possible evidence.
“Ultimately, this work helped us avoid what would have been a very distressing trial for all involved.
“If ever there was a case that demonstrates the enormous harm caused by irresponsible, dangerous driving, it is this one.
“There are no words adequate to describe the devastation caused by Mahebadevan’s actions that day.
“From the first call to the scene of this horrific incident, officers and staff from a number of teams across Essex Police have worked diligently to build our case, with both victims very much at the forefront of our minds throughout.
“I would also like to recognise the work of colleagues across the team, as well as the first responders at the scene that day.
“While the family and friends of each victim will be forever changed, I do hope this sentence and the conclusion of this case give them some closure and a way forward with their lives.”

At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.

Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our support for victims and witnesses of crime page.

To report a crime, please use our digital 101 service. In an emergency call 999. 

Help us reduce road collisions and casualties in Essex and make our roads even safer. Report instances of poor and dangerous driving through Safer Essex Roads Partnership's Extra Eyes initiative.

More than ever, irresponsible, dangerous and illegal road behaviour is being recorded by road users. Through Extra Eyes this footage can be sent to, and reviewed by, an investigator within Road Policing at Essex Police.

Find out how by visiting Safer Essex Roads Partnership website.