People in Leeds are still talking about the heartbreaking loss of a young man whose future looked incredibly bright.
What started as an ordinary evening for 19-year-old Ashton Kitchen-White ended in tragedy when he crossed paths with a reckless driver who treated public roads like a racetrack.
That single moment wiped out the dreams of a teenager preparing to begin his journey toward becoming a doctor.
The Final Moments Before the Collision
Witnesses later explained that the driver behind the wheel, 26-year-old Regan Kemp, wasn’t just speeding—he was tearing through the streets as if nothing could touch him.
With a backseat passenger recording everything on a phone, the Ford Focus ST sped through a 30mph zone at a staggering 80mph.
Within seconds, the car slammed into Ashton as he used a pelican crossing on Ring Road Beeston.
The impact was so severe that experts said he had no chance of survival.
A Dreamer Whose Life Was Just Beginning
Ashton had recently secured his place at Leeds University to study medicine, a path he’d worked towards with determination.
His family described him as someone full of hope, compassion, and ambition. Losing him felt like losing the very future he was building.
Leeds Crown Court listened in silence as his parents’ statements captured the unfathomable pain they now carry—his mother saying she still speaks to him when she walks past his bedroom, and his father admitting he feels as if his soul has been torn away.
A Driver With a Troubling Past
Kemp’s behaviour, both before and after the crash, made the tragedy even harder for the family to bear.
He refused to accept responsibility, instead trying to pin the blame on a friend from Scotland.
Even with overwhelming evidence—including fingerprints, CCTV footage, and the backseat recording—he never admitted fault or expressed remorse.
His history of dangerous driving and attempts to mislead authorities only reinforced the court’s view that he was determined to dodge accountability at any cost.
The Attempt to Escape Accountability
After the collision, Kemp didn’t stop to help.
Instead, he hopped into a Mini Cooper driven by friends and fled the scene, returning first to Scotland and then to Cornwall.
Days passed before he finally turned himself in.
When questioned by police, he maintained the lie that someone else had been driving, despite the evidence showing he was the only person who could have been behind the wheel.
The Courtroom Reaction
The trial moved swiftly, and it took the jury less than two hours to reach a unanimous verdict.
When the judge announced the guilty finding for causing death by dangerous driving, people in the public gallery couldn’t contain an emotional cheer.
Judge Neil Clark did not mince his words, telling Kemp that he would “never contribute to society” the way Ashton would have.
The sentence—15 years and six months in prison, along with a driving ban of more than 17 years—reflected the gravity of the loss he caused.
The Family’s Heartbreaking Testimonies
During the hearing, the courtroom fell silent as Ashton’s parents’ statements were read aloud.
His mother described the constant ache of living without her son, saying she would give anything to trade places with him.
His father shared the same devastation, admitting he feels like he is on autopilot, functioning through a nightmare he can’t escape.
Their grief painted a vivid picture of how one reckless decision destroyed an entire family’s world.
Footage That Told the Truth
The backseat recording of Kemp’s driving became a crucial piece of evidence.
The witness who filmed it recalled how Kemp revved the engine, accelerated aggressively, and showed off behind the wheel moments before the crash.
Investigators later confirmed the car’s speed and matched fingerprints exclusively to Kemp. CCTV also captured him getting out of the driver’s side after abandoning the car.
Still, he refused to testify in court, maintaining silence instead of offering an explanation.
A Journey That Ended Before It Truly Began
Ashton’s death has left a permanent void—not just in his family but also in the future he was meant to shape.
A young man who envisioned helping people through medicine lost his life to someone who treated the law, and human life, with careless disregard.
What’s next?
With Kemp now behind bars, Ashton’s family faces the long road of learning to live with a loss that can never truly heal.
Their focus now shifts to preserving Ashton’s memory and pushing for greater awareness around dangerous driving, hoping no other family has to endure what they have suffered.
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