FAMILIES who felt the sentencing of Army Major Giles Stibbe was too lenient have been told they cannot take the case to the Court of Appeal.

Stibbe was fined £750, banned from driving for two years, ordered to pay £500 costs and retake his driving test after he was found guilty of dangerous driving.

A jury at Exeter Crown Court cleared him in September of causing the deaths by dangerous driving of Tamara-Jayne Sheppard, five, of Compton Bassett, Craig Dicker, 23, of Downlands Road, Devizes, and Adam Lumley, 21, of Melksham.

Raj Barot, the legal adviser on unduly lenient sentences to law officers at the Attorney General's Office in London, said: "We cannot in law refer the case to the Court of Appeal.

"Death by dangerous driving is covered but he was not convicted of death by dangerous driving. Cases of this type cannot go to appeal."

Craig's mother Sheri Dicker, said she felt crushed that the appeal had been turned down.

She said she also planned to continue appealing for a change in the law, to bring about a more severe punishment for road traffic offenders.

"I have lost all faith in the British justice system, as my husband, George, has as well," she said.

"We will continue to campaign for a change in the law as long as there are people who are allowed to commit driving offences which lead to fatal crashes."

"There appears to be absolutely no justice for road crash victims."

Mrs Dicker said she wrote to Stibbe the week after he was sentenced at Truro Crown Court in October, and said he replied to herself and Gillian Lumley, who lives in Melksham, last week.

"He said he was sorry about the accident and went on to say what a jolly nice fellow he was," said Mrs Dicker.

"He said his father had Parkinson's and he had to watch him suffer for 17 years. About 90 per cent of the letter was about himself.

"I would have had sympathy for him were it not for the fact that the letter was copied word for word and sent to Gill."

Mr Dicker said he was also disappointed at the Attorney General's decision.

"It is basically disgusting but seems to go hand in hand with the outcome of many cases, not just Stibbe's," he said.

Mrs Lumley said she had written asking for an appeal, to the Lord Chief Justice, who had referred the letter to the Attorney General.

"I spoke to the Attorney General's solicitor and he said the facts are that the offence for which Stibbe was convicted, which was dangerous driving, is not an offence that can be appealed," she said.

Mrs Lumley said she would continue to campaign for a change in the law and, as part of her fight, she had written to Prince Phillip, Prince Charles, the Queen and the Home Office.

Mr Barot said he was aware of a number of letters sent to Government ministers and said he was in the process of replying to those letters.

"But each reply will be the same, there is nothing more we can do," he said.