In the House of Commons today, Jonthan Gullis presented a Ten-Minute Rule Bill to Parliament to change Section 7A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, introducing Sharlotte’s Law.
Sharlotte was killed when out for a walk to get some sweets with her father when a brute, John Owen, two times over the drink drive limit with Class A Drugs in his system, speeding whilst on his phone struck her on Endon Road in Norton Green.
This legislative change has one simple intention: to put victims of road traffic incidents and their families first. Presently, blood samples cannot be tested for drugs and alcohol until consent is given. In the case of Sharlotte and her family, this prolonged the investigation into her death significantly because John Owen was in a coma following the collision meaning he could not consent to his blood samples being taken.
Claire has described the eleven weeks of not knowing whether John Owen was over the limit as “like torture”. The law change is intended to allow blood samples to be tested without consent which would prioritise the needs of victims and their families over the perpetrator. Given that withholding blood samples from the police is a criminal offence, Gullis has described consent is an “effective formality” and that “this law change would better protect victims.”
With the backing of a cross-party group of MPs, including Jack Brereton and Jo Gideon, over 5,800 petition signatories, leading drink driving charities BRAKE, Scard and the Campaign Against Drink Driving (CADD) as well as the unanimous support of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, who passed a motion in support of the campaign on 7 September, Staffordshire’s Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner, Ben Adams, and The Stoke Sentinel newspaper, Gullis hopes this Ten Minute Rule Bill will further raise awareness to the campaign.
In the House, the Bill had cross-party support from Members across the politcal divide. The Bill had the backing of Tory grandees including Dame Priti Patel and Sir Brandon Lewis, Labour MP Sarah Champion, the DUP’s Jim Shannon and Reform’s Lee Anderson.
Commenting, Jonathan Gullis MP said: “It is impossible to imagine what Claire and her family went through following those harrowing events in June 2021. That’s why Claire and I have been working together to make sure the law puts victims like Sharlotte and her family first.”
“I am delighted to have cross-party support for this Ten Minute Rull Bill that puts on record our ambition to amend Section 7A of the 1988 Road Traffic Act, putting victims first, and most importantly leave a lasting legacy in name of Sharlotte-Sky Naglis.”
Commenting, Claire Reynolds said: “It was great to see Jonathan present our plans to change the law in Parliament. Ever since my beautiful daughter passed away, I have been fighting to change the law so no other family suffers like we did. This law would save families from torture and put victims first.”
“I hope this will raise awareness of ‘Sharlotte’s Law’ and I want to thank Jonathan and his team personally for helping me fight for justice.”