THE mother of a young girl killed as a result of her friend’s dangerous driving has spoken of the family’s devastation since the teenage driver was jailed.

Alice Worthington, 17, died after a trip to the cinema with three of her friends in March, this year.

The girls were all passengers in a blue Mini One, driven by student Amy Saulino, 19, of the Woodlands, Northwich.

Tragedy struck on the way home when, on the A54 near Kelsall, Saulino attempted to overtake two other cars at speeds witnesses recall as 110mph.

After losing control of the steering, the car hit the kerb and overturned on the other side of the road.

Alice was pulled from the vehicle but died later in the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Last month, Saulino was sentenced to three years in a young offenders institution and banned from driving for five years.

However, since the court case Alice’s mother, Fiona Worthington, said she now feels more empty than ever.

She said: “Having the court case there was something for us to hang on to but we’ve got to grieve now. Our house was always so full of life.

“The girls used to come round and get ready for a night out here.

“Now it is so quiet and that’s the worse thing.”

Fiona also talked of her distress at hearing Saulino’s defence lawyer hail the Sir John Deane’s student as one of Alice’s close friends.

“People have said to me ‘I didn’t know she was a close friend’ and she wasn’t,” added Fiona.

“It was actually quite hurtful for her other friend to hear that. She was a friend but not a close friend.

“In all that time since the accident Amy has never apologised to us.

“Her close friends still come round to the house.

“They take bits from her room and they write on her Facebook page, that’s how they are coping.

“They ask if it makes me feel worse but it doesn’t.”

Fiona talked of her difficulty in returning to work and how it has left her husband, Alice’s father, devastated, but hopes young people can learn form this.

She said: “This is basically the consequences of what happens if you’re not responsible.

“Young people do show off but they need to realise what could happen.”

The family of Alice Worthington would like to thank police liaison officer Nick Anderton and the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as Alice’s friends and boyfriend, for all their support.