I crashed police barrier to hold my girl after she died in boy racer smash… he escaped with a scratch and kept licence

TEARS streamed down heartbroken mum Cody Hobman’s face as she clasped her 16-year-old daughter Alisha’s hand by the roadside, just after she’d died in a horrifying car crash. The mum-of-five had raced to the scene after receiving a call from her daughter’s friend – and, ignoring cops, she desperately clambered over the cordon to reach the teen. Tragically, it was just the start of the mum’s agony, as she then endured a two-year wait in her search for justice. Alisha Ponter, 16, was killed in the horror crash in 2024 Credit: Facebook The pick-up truck she was a passenger in hit a barrier on the A249 in Stockbury, Kent Credit: Cody Hobman Passenger Alisha Ponter died at the scene, despite paramedics battling for 90 minutes to save her, after the Toyota Hilux truck she was travelling in hit a barrier and overturned on the A249 in Stockbury, Kent, on February 24, 2024. It’s understood the teen had only met driver Linchem Connors weeks before through friends, and she was one of two passengers he took out that night. Connors, then 17, came away from the crash with just a scratch on his head – while Alisha died and the second passenger was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition but has since recovered. Despite being arrested soon after, it took nearly two years for any charges to be brought, and in the meantime Connors was free to live his life. In that time he went on holiday, and his driving licence wasn’t even taken off him – only adding to mum-of-five Cody’s agony. Finally, on July 17, Linchem Connors, now 19, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Maidstone Crown Court, and is awaiting sentence next month. Now speaking exclusively to The Sun Cody is calling for tougher charges for those who take lives, and has created a campaign in her daughter’s name, Alisha’s Law. She also shares her fears that, thanks to Labour’s early release scheme, Connors could be out within a couple of years. The distraught mum first came face-to-face with Connors at court last month, and admits she struggled to keep her emotions under control when he spoke directly to her. “He looked straight at me and said, ‘I’m sorry’ but it wasn’t a nice sorry, it wasn’t genuine, not to me,” Cody explained. “There’s nothing to him, it’s just awful. It’s like, you haven’t been sorry this whole time.” Cody Hobman described teen daughter Alisha as her best friend Credit: Cody Hobman Linchem Connors, now 19, has been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving Credit: Cover Images She added: “He’s shown no remorse and had been living his best life on holiday and still driving his car and flexing his watches on Instagram while out on bail for two years. “It took so long I thought the police had forgotten about Alicia. “What is the justice system nowadays? He’s an absolute monster who stole my daughter’s life. “You just think, how can somebody else’s actions pull your whole life apart? “I died too that night – only I’m still here living this nightmare. “The sentence won’t be very long – in my eyes, if you kill someone you should go to prison for life – and that’s that.” She added, with such charges unlikely to lead to a life sentence: “I know none of it brings Alisha home but we will appeal whatever sentence he gets.” Alisha, the oldest of seven siblings and described as the “light of our lives” by her family, was planning a career in the beauty industry – and at the time of her death was about to start work experience in a beauty shop. Cody and the rest of ‘Alisha’s Army’ protest outside court Credit: Cody Hobman It’s understood Alisha had only met driver Linchem Connors weeks before the devastating crash Credit: Cody Hobman Then on that fateful day – February 24, 2024 – Cody was at home in Folkestone, Kent, when Alisha’s friend called to say she’d died in a car crash. “I thought she was playing tricks because they were always making up silly little stories – so I hung up,” she explained. “But then the girl’s mum phoned me and said, ‘No, Alicia’s died.’” Holding back tears, Cody said: “I rang the police straight away and they told me there’d been an accident. “At first they told me someone had been airlifted alive and I thought, ‘Oh please, please, please’… I was praying it was Alisha, and then when they said there’s been a fatality, in my heart – I just knew it was her.” She rushed down to the scene with her husband Aaron Hobman, around 45 minutes’ drive away, as they tried to process the devastating news. “I was just crying the whole way,” Cody said. “Everything was happening so quickly. It was just horrendous.” They arrived around 8.30pm – nearly two hours after the crash. Cody was told paramedics worked on Alisha for 90 minutes before she was pronounced dead before they arrived. Alisha had a pink coffin and her family did a mass balloon release in her memory Credit: Cody Hobman Cody said she has struggled with her mental health since her daughter died Credit: Cody Hobman “In my heart, I feel like she put up a fight,” said Cody who broke down in tears. The mum was told not to cross the police tape – but she was desperate to be with her daughter. “We didn’t listen to them, we argued and then I ran,” she said. “I could just see a big white sheet over somebody. “Obviously, I knew it was Alisha, then my husband lifted the sheet and it was her.” Cody said she was warned by officers not to touch her daughter’s body but she refused to listen. “I didn’t pick her up or anything because there was loads of blood, but I held her hand,” she explained. She had no idea her daughter had gone out in a car that night, and had thought she was staying at a friend’s house. It’s understood Alisha had known Connors for around a month. The teenager leaves behind six siblings Credit: Cody Hobman A beach balloon release was carried out in tribute to Alisha Credit: Cody Hobman He got out of the wreck with just a scratch and was arrested – while another passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries but recovered. An ambulance eventually took Alisha away and Cody was told to go home. She said the next day on ringing up the hospital, they were told oddly they had to wait for the okay to go and see her daughter’s body, until as Connors’ solicitors agreed. “None of it seemed fair,” said Cody. “He wasn’t the victim, he killed Alisha, why did we need to wait for what his lawyer said?” Shortly after Alisha’s death, a memorial was held on February 28 2024 at Sunny Sands beach in Folkestone, which involved a mass balloon release. At her funeral, the teenager was honoured with a bright pink coffin. Connors was later bailed pending investigation and not charged until April this year – and was allowed to keep his licence and travel abroad on holiday in the meantime. During the agonising wait for a charge, which ran nearly two years, Cody said she felt like Alisha has been “totally forgotten”, adding: “I understand it’s a big investigation but for myself and other families like ours to have to suffer for that long – it isn’t good enough. You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858 Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk HUMEN www.wearehumen.org Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123 “I feel like there definitely should have been more compassion, and stricter conditions,” said Cody. “I don’t have my daughter, our life is ruined – yet Lincham’s been allowed to carry on doing what he was. “Where was the justice there, what was even the point of arresting him?” During his initial appearance at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court on June 19 after being charged, outside Cody and her friends and family were dressed in pink, waving placards and playing music as they demanded justice for Alisha. The impact on Cody has, understandably, been catastrophic, and the mum has checked herself into a psychiatric ward several times and said, at her darkest depths, she even considered suicide. “Everything has been so hard,” she admitted. “I’m left thinking who am I and why am I here now?” She has remained as strong as she can for her family, including her four sons. She says: “Me and Alisha were best friends. “It’s not only ruined my life but my family’s lives.” During the initial Magistrates’ Court hearing in June, Cody said she could barely bring herself to look at Connors as he appeared on a video link. “My heart was racing, I just felt like the whole room was going to fall in, just the surge of anger I had on me,” she said. She admitted she “lost my rag” in court on seeing Connors’ mum getting upset and saying “my baby” as he was led out. Cody said: “I shouted, ‘Your baby? What about my f***ing baby? She’s never coming home’.” Connors is due to be sentenced on September 15. Referring to how much support she’s seen for her campaign, Cody added: “Although my heart is very broken, I’m very touched.” See Cody’s petition for Alisha’s Law here.