The father of a 14-year-old who was killed by a cannabis-smoking driver as she walked to school has told of his devastation as it is claimed the man was texting when he hit her. Liberty Baker died after being hit as she walked to school with friends in Witney, Oxfordshire, last June. Robert Blackwell, a 19-year-old drug user, was behind the wheel of the speeding Citroen C2 which mounted the pavement where Liberty was walking. Liberty Baker, 14, was killed when Robert Blackwell's speeding car mounted the pavement she was walking along on her way to school last June . Liberty's father Paul Baker (left) said he wished he had been killed instead. Her mother, Maureen (right with Finley, Liberty's 10-year-old brother) broke down in tears after today's hearing . The schoolgirl's father today described the 'living nightmare' her death has become as prosecutors claimed Blackwell had been distracted by his phone at the time of the crash. He was told to expect a custodial sentence after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Oxford Crown Court today. Liberty's mother, Maureen Baker, broke down in tears after the hearing with her husband describing the minutes before her death. 'As parents, my wife and I are going through a living nightmare which has come true,' said Paul Baker. 'There is not a single day that goes by that I wish the driver had killed me not Liberty. We've gone from a happy family to a sad family. 'We are totally devastated that our daughter was killed in an avoidable way. A child has been killed by an adult. The teenager's mother wept after the hearing today where a court heard how Blackwell had smoked cannabis the day before the crash . Robert Blackwell, pictured arriving at court today, said he had been under pressure from work and had smoked cannabis the day before the crash . Prosecutors told how Blackwell was 'distracted' by his mobile phone when he mounted the pavement and struck the teenager . Mr Baker said the 14-year-old's death had 'devastated' his family which was once happy but now sad . 'We hope sentencing reflects this. There is a mobile phone driving culture on our roads, combined with a speeding culture. 'This is a recipe for further avoidable road deaths. 'I do not want another family to go through this nightmare and feel like we do. 'My last words to Liberty on that morning as she left for school at 7.55 was 'Bye, have fun'. She was dead by 8.15.' The court heard how Blackwell had been smoking cannabis the day before the crash with traces of the drug still in his blood. 'There are studies that suggest it can impair driving for up to 24 hours,' said prosecutor Ian Hope. He was 'distracted' at the time of the crash, said lawyers, with phone records revealing he received a text message five minutes before the first call was placed to 999 to report the crash. '(He was) distracted for what must have been a period of time of 10 seconds or more,' Mr Hope added. Friends of the schoolgirl described her as 'beautiful and popular' after the incident which took place around a mile from her school . The teenager's death shook pupils at Henry Box School where Liberty studied. Her parents said they were 'devastated' their child had been killed in 'an avoidable way' Following her death campaigners fundraised for a tree to be planted in Liberty's memory. Above, the grass verge where she was run over . Flower tributes were left at the scene where Liberty was run over. David Cameron was among those to share his grief online . 'The prosecution say is it fair and proper inference to say from the evidence... at the time the telephone was the source of distraction.' He denied the accusation, insisting his phone was still locked at the time of the crash and that he had been under pressure from his job. 'He genuinely cannot say what was distracting him,' defence barrister Claire Fraser told the court. 'He did not realise or see that a text had come. He is adamant that the mobile phone is not the cause of this accident but his inattention and his speed.' She added his phone was connected to a charger and was sitting on the front seat. Mr Hope rejected claims he had not seen the text message which would have flashed up on his screen even if locked. Addressing the teenager, Judge Ian Pringle told Blackwell said: 'The most probably outcome in this case is a significant prison sentence for you.' He was released on bail on the condition that he does not drive and will be sentenced next month. After Liberty's death last June fundraisers campaigned for a memorial tree to be placed in Henry Box School grounds, around a mile from where she was hit. David Cameron sent condolences to the schoolgirl's parents and 10-year-old brother, Finley. The Prime Minister, who is the MP for Witney, wrote on Twitter: 'My thoughts are with friends and family of the 14-year- old girl killed by a car in Witney this morning.’ Liberty was on her way to Henry Box School in Witney, Oxfordshire (above) when she was hit by the car . She was taken to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital (above) but pronounced dead after succumbing to her injuries .
Liberty Baker was killed as she walked to school in Witney, Oxfordshire . Robert Blackwell, 19, mounted the pavement in his speeding Citroen . He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving this afternoon . Liberty's father told of the schoolgirl's final moments after the hearing . Paul Baker said her death had become a 'living nightmare' for his family .