Lillie Clack, 22, died after she and her friends were offered a lift home to Morden from Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park in the early hours of December 25, 2021.
The driver, Charlie Hilton – who was drunk at the wheel and sped at over 100mph, a court heard – crashed his mum’s car in Carshalton and Lillie sadly died three days later at St George’s Hospital in Tooting.
“Selfish” Hilton was chased by police before the Mercedes he was driving hit a tree, flipped over and burst into flames – also seriously injuring three other passengers.
Hilton, from Tadworth in Surrey, was jailed for over 10 years in 2023 after admitting causing Lillie’s death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury, failing to stop when directed by police and driving above the alcohol limit.
Lillie’s family are now calling for a change in legislation – called Lillie’s Law – which would see drink-drivers immediately suspended from driving and lifetime bans for those convicted of causing death or serious injury by driving.
An inquest into kitchen designer Lillie’s death is set to open later this week at South London Coroner’s Court.
At his sentencing hearing in February 2023, the Old Bailey heard Hilton reacted to the blue lights of a police vehicle indicating for him to pull over by speeding away – driving as fast as 100mph on a 40mph road.
Lillie’s family have previously made claims about how Hilton had kept his driver’s license and continued driving – even going on two holidays – before finally being charged with causing Lillie’s death by dangerous driving a year on from the crash.
Her family are now campaigning to introduce Lillie’s Law, which would see drivers found to be over the alcohol limit having their license immediately suspended and lifetime bans for those convicted of causing death or serious injury while driving.
The inquest into Lillie’s death will begin at Croydon Town Hall in south London on Thursday, June 19, and is expected to last two days.
Lillie’s mum Debbie has started a charity and a set up a tea room in Morden in her daughter’s memory.
Debbie told Your Local Guardian: “We decided to start a charity to help other families when burying a loved one.
“I had an amazing family group around me, but a lot of people, sadly, don’t have that.
“It can be a mental block or a financial block for them.
“So, we decided to start a charity called Eyes Wet Now.”
Lillie’s in the Garden, a non-profit volunteer-run tea room set up by Debbie, opened in September 2024.
Debbie said: “Friends, family, and the local community all help by donating different things: tables, chairs, teapots, saucers.
“After the rent and electricity are paid, the food is bought by me to buy ingredients to make cakes.
“The rest of the money goes directly to Eyes Wet Now.”
Debbie explained that opening a tea room was Lillie’s dream.
She explained: “Lillie had a dream, and it was always to own a tea room.
“I used to say to her that one day she could own one.
“I told her, ‘Why don’t you go out, earn your money, travel the world, and then when you’re ready to settle down and be a mummy, I’ll be ready to be a grandma, and between us, we can open a tea room together.’
“So, when we lost Lillie, my sister and I both said that one day we would love to be able to have the strength to open the tea room in her memory.
“And when I came across this one room in The Garden, the gatekeeper opened the door for me, and I could hear Lillie saying to me, ‘Mummy, there’s our tea room.’”
