THE father of a 14- year-old girl killed in a car crash has spoken of his anger after it was revealed that the young driver who was jailed for dangerous driving is to appeal against his sentence.

Annie Cochrane died at the scene of the crash in School Lane, Wigan, in the early hours of Sunday, February 13, 2011.

Michael Partington, aged 19, of Wingates Grove, Westhoughton, had been driving at speeds of up to 70mph in a 20mph zone, lost control of his Rover 25 car and hit a tree.

He was jailed for fourand- a-half years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

Rivington and Blackrod High School pupil Annie, from Horwich, was a front seat passenger.

Three passengers in the car, Adam Clarke, aged 18, AdamJack King, aged 17, and a 15-year-old girl who cannot be named for legal reasons, were said to have screamed at Partington to slow down.

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that an appeal against sentence had been received from Partington’s lawyers. A date for the hearing has not yet been set.

Annie’s father, Andrew, a cabinet maker, said: “I am very angry that he has appealed against his sentence. He was told in court he was only getting so long, so there would be no grounds for an appeal.

I don’t think he feels guilty.”

When Partington was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Mark Brown said: “It is apparent you were driving like a madman at a very fast speed and completely ignoring your passengers. If you hadn’t been driving in this way, then Annie would have been alive today.”

He said the death of Annie had been a neverending nightmare for her father, grandmother Ada and younger brother Adam.

After the court case, Mr Cochrane, aged 46, suffered a heart attack.