Heartbroken partner of pregnant Hollyoaks star killed in crash says he feels 'let down'

The heartbroken partner of the late Hollyoaks star, Frankie Jules-Hough, has opened up about his grief after the tragic loss.

The actor, who'd played the character of Jess Holt on the soap back in the 2000s, was 17 weeks pregnant with her third child at the time of her death when 22-year-old Adil Iqbal, 22, filmed himself driving at speeds of over 100mph before losing control of his vehicle on the M66 in Bury, Greater Manchester, earlier this year (13 May).

The late mother-of-two's partner, Calvin Buckley, appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain this morning (16 October) and has said he feels 'let down' by the courts following the sentencing of Iqbal.

Speaking to hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley, Buckley opened up about the details of the horrific event that saw both his partner and their unborn daughter, Neeve, die with Frankie's nine-year-old son, Thomas, and four-year-old nephew, Tobias, also injured in the incident.

Miraculously, Frankie's two-year-old, Rocky, who was strapped into a child seat, was unharmed in the collision,

Frankie suffered fatal brain injuries and sadly passed away just two days after.

Iqbal was driving with one hand at high speeds of up to 123mph while filming himself with the other hand.

He lost control of his father's BMW M140i on the M66 before he crashed into Jules-Hough's Skoda Fabia, which had pulled over on the hard shoulder with a tyre puncture.

ITV

Back in July, Iqbal was jailed for 12 years by Judge Maurice Greene after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving; and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.

While he was initially sentenced for 12 years in prison, three senior appeal judges sitting at the Court of Appeal in London decided to increase his term by three years after concluding the original sentence was unduly lenient last week (13 October).

Lord Justice Bean said: "In our collective experience this is the worst case of bad driving any of us can recall."

Speaking about the devastating loss on GMB, Buckley shared: "They always talk about death by dangerous driving isn't intentional, nobody goes out to do that.

"But when you're driving at that speed and taking that level of risk, and you're intentionally breaking laws, and risking people's lives, that is just as bad in my opinion.

"What else does someone have to do to see it as a life sentence?"

Buckley went on to say that he was 'shocked' by the initial 12-year sentence and that the family felt 'angry and disappointed' by the new sentence.

PA

"I was shocked and I was also angry and very disappointed. We felt we had been let down by the justice system. It was really difficult for us as a family to move on and grieve because of the injustice," he continued.

"With the severity and how extreme the case is, we do think it warrants a life sentence. The judge on the appeal, he was a lot different. He spoke about the family more. It was more personal and he actually got across in his summary that it's the worst case he's seen. After, it was still confusing [as he had only given three more years]."

He added that Iqbal should have received a life sentence.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677