Calocane, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, killed University of Nottingham students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and caretaker Ian Coates, 65, and attempted to kill three more people in Nottingham in June 2023.
A series of reports into the incident by the NHS so far have highlighted failings in Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust’s management of Calocane, including failures to appropriately assess the risk he posed to himself and others. A public inquiry will now scrutinise prosecutors, police and medical professionals.
During the first day of the hearings on Monday, the inquiry heard that Calocane first had a serious violent episode on 24 May 2020. But mental health professionals ruled Calocane was safe to be treated in the community rather than being admitted.
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Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar were fatally stabbed by Calocane (PA)
Counsel to the inquiry Rachel Langdale told the hearing that, during the incident, Calocane, who is referred to as “VC” in proceedings, was found “repeatedly kicking and punching a door” in an attempt to get into a neighbour’s flat.
He was assessed by a mental health professional and found to be suffering from a psychosis mental health episode and “was noted to be presenting with mental health issues, hearing voices, appeared vacant, and had not slept for five days”.
At a follow-up mental health act assessment, Dr Gandhi, along with an approved mental health practitioner, Ben Williams, and a mental health nurse Anna Palmer, agreed he would be offered treatment with antipsychotic medication in the community rather than as an inpatient admission.
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According to the statement, Dr Gandhi said he was leaning towards detaining Calocane “given it was the first presentation of psychosis, and a lack of information on risk history”. But he said that the team of professionals also “considered the research evidence that shows overrepresentation of young Black males in detention”.
Dr Gandhi said it is part of his role in assessments to be aware of research, evidence and data including health inequalities but that it would not have affected the decision to admit or treat Calocane in the community.
The inquiry will look at how appropriate that mental health act assessment was.
KC Langdale’s statement later quotes Royal College of Psychiatrist’s evidence stating there is “there is no evidence that psychiatrists are not admitting patients because they are black. The rates of admission are the same as at the time of the publication of the independent review and recent evidence shows that detentions are going up.”
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She added that in the specific case of Calocane the inquiry may want to consider whether race was a factor however said the evidence so far received does not suggest it was and that it he was admitted on four on four occasions.
Shortly after being released, Calocane was arrested after attempting to get into another neighbour’s flat and causing the the woman to become so scared she jumped out of her first floor window, causing serious damage to her spine.
Following his arrest, Ms Palmer spoke with his mother, Celeste Calocane, who “noted that she would prefer that her son goes into hospital for treatment, as he’s a risk to others in his current mental state”, the inquiry heard.
Ms Langdale added that the chair of the inquiry Deborah Taylor may ask why Calocane was released at that stage and whether release straight into the community was appropriate.
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It was not until the next day, during a further mental health act assessment, that he was recommended for section.
The inquiry will also probe why services deemed, prior to discharging him, that there had been “no incidents of violence” from Calocane despite the episodes in May 2020, as well as a prior incident in which he “had entered a neighbour’s flat to confront those who believed were trying to spy on him and torment his mind”.
Ms Langdale’s opneing statement further revealed in Christmas 2022, Calocane sent his parents files over christmas which included, a document explaining he “had been hearing voices in his head all the time, but this wasn’t the result of mental ill-health”, but it was explained by “mind control technology”, the inquiry heard.
After the attacks on June 13, analysis of Calocane’s phone was undertaken, which show he researched “mind control technology” and watched videos including of a shooting. He also viewed documents with some content relating to the law and police powers, Ms Langdale said.
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He largely kept a low profile during his fourth hospital admission in early 2022, spending most of his time on his phone.
Ms Langdale said the inquiry will “explore with treating clinicians whether they ever asked VC what he was viewing on his phone, if not, why not, and whether patients routinely have unfettered access to their phone”.
His risk assessment was updated for the final time prior to the attacks on February 28 2022 – which noted “that given the history of violence and aggression, there should not be home visits, and if a home visit was required it should be a joint visit; no lone working”.
Ms Langdale added: “We will ask why this assessment of the risks to the community medical team did notapply equally to other students and the wider public.”
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In September 2022 Calocane was discharged from the early intervention in psychosis team which were responsible for his care in the community at the time. He was discharged back to his GP as the team could not make contact with him despite attempts to.
The inquiry will consider whether discharging him to his GP for non-attendance to appointments should have been a signal of his deteriorating mental health.
In the months leading up to the killings in June 2023 Calocane’s GP sent text messages asking him to arrange an appointment, however he was not seen and was not provided with any medication.
“The Inquiry will consider the role of primary care services following discharge of non-engaging patients, especially where the non-engagement may be an indication of deteriorating mental health and increased risk,” the statement said.
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Ms Langdale also said there appears to be a “lacuna” in terms on monitoring patients’ medication as Calocane’s GP claimed this was the responsibility of the trust.
“It does not appear the GP practice took any steps to manage VC’s prescriptions or make any efforts to ensure he received any. VC was essentially in the community disengaged from any health service and unmedicated”, the inquiry heard.
Calocane was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility and attempted murder – something which has been widely criticised by the victims’ families.
Low Tide Coffee House on North Terrace in Seaham will be ready to welcome in customers from Saturday (February 28) after more than a month of work.
Husband and wife duo Sarah and Garry Jeffrey from Seaham took over the unit, formerly known as The Featherbed Café in December and since then have poured their life savings into renovating and making it their own.
Low Tide Coffee House, North Terrace, Seaham. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Pictures show the outside of the café, including its door, has been painted a light green colour and black signage has been put up.
The 46-year-old said: “We just said right, let’s go for it. We’ve poured our life savings into it.
“It’s a big leap, a massive step and a massive hole in our pockets but I want to give back to the community.
“I would like it to become a safe place for the elderly to come and see a smiling face and have a cup of coffee.
“It can be a lifeline where people can meet friends.”
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Sarah and Garry Jeffrey from Seaham. (Image: SARAH JEFFREY)
She added: “So many people have been looking through the window at what we are doing and have said they are glad we are opening.
“I feel like I’m bursting with pride, it makes me feel so warm and nice inside.”
But that’s not all the building is being utilised for – as well as the café, Sarah’s other passion, pole fitness, is represented by High Tide Fitness, which is already up and running.
The mum-of-one added: “My whole thought process when leaving the army was to be a mum to my son, but I also really wanted to teach pole fitness.
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“I opened up a studio in Skelton and then one in Sunderland but it burned down after a fire at a nearby business in December.
“It was two doors up from us – on December 3, my son’s 17th birthday, we got a call that everything had burned, just before Christmas.
“There is a lot of stigma around pole fitness. I know where it originated from but we don’t do any of the heel work. I don’t teach any of that.
“My teaching is more about empowerment which is a massive thing especially with women.”
The three-bedroom, terraced property is located on Wharton Street and is in need of some improvement.
The three-storey house comprises of an entrance hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom on the ground floor.
Photos show that the property is currently in need of some maintenance. (Image: Auction House South Yorkshire)
On the first floor, there are two bedrooms with a third located in the attic.
Externally, the property has a rear yard and there is on-street parking available nearby.
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However, potential buyers should be aware of the current condition of the house and the maintenance work required.
Rear yard. (Image: Auction House South Yorkshire)
Photographs show that the property is currently in need of some maintenance, with holes in some walls and signs of damp.
Despite this, the listing highlights that once the renovation work is complete, the property could potentially offer a monthly rental income of £750 per month, or an annual rental income of £9,000.
Situated on Wharton Street, it provides convenient access to the town centre and its amenities, not to mention the attractions of Hartlepool’s seafront and the North East coastline.
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Ground floor bathroom. (Image: Auction House South Yorkshire)
The property is also located just 0.3 miles from Hartlepool’s train station.
Also pointed out in the listing is the house’s proximity to other significant places.
The historic city of Durham is easily accessible, as are Middlesborough, Darlington, and Newcastle upon Tyne.
The third bedroom is located on the top floor. (Image: Auction House South Yorkshire)
This might add to the property appeal for those who value connectivity and accessibility.
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Last sold in 2025, the house went for £39,500 in May of that year.
Ultimately, this property seems like an opportunity for developers or first-time buyers who are open to undertaking a renovation project and are looking for an affordable start, though it is worth noting one more fact.
The listing also states that there were 8,843 reported crimes in the area in the last 12 months, earning it a ‘very high crime’ tag.
For more information, you can contact Auction House South Yorkshire on 01144462621.
Fire crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough say that they were called to the A658, south of Knaresborough, at 7.52am this morning (February 23) after a crash involving two vehicles.
One person became trapped inside their vehicle in the crash.
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“Crews released the occupant using driver side door removal and they were then transported to hospital via air ambulance. Crews then carried out scene safety and disconnected the batteries from both vehicles,” said a spokesperson for the force.
At the time of writing (5.15pm), the road is still closed at the junction with the B6163 at Thistle Hill whilst investigation work is carried out.
“You didn’t have to look like the 18th century, you didn’t have to dress like a hamburger, you didn’t have to arrive in a van where you were standing up because you couldn’t sit down because you wore a chandelier.” (Ford’s comments appear to reference two looks worn by American singer Katy Perry in 2019).
Pippa McClounan, communications manager of Tourette’s Action, told BBC News: “As much as these words do cause hurt and shock in people, it’s really vital that the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette’s syndrome, that the tics are involuntary, and they are in no way reflection of what that person is thinking and their beliefs.
The scheme, a 70-home project by Gleeson Homes, will be built on land near Buckingham Terrace in Leeholme, Durham.
It will include a mix of bungalows, and two, three, and four-bedroom houses, with seven homes designated as affordable.
Objections centred on issues such as infrastructure, accessibility to services, highway safety, flooding, contamination, tree loss, and the impact on wildlife.
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Traffic and infrastructure concerns
One resident said: “The potential 180 extra vehicles will have such a significant impact to cause extreme concern and high risk to all through the added congestion.”
Another said: “There is no infrastructure to support the existing residents of Leeholme, nevermind to support the application for a further 70 houses.”
Loss of green space
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A resident wrote: “I am writing to formally object to the proposed development of 70 dwellings on the greenfield space.”
They said the site “functions as a community green space used daily by local residents—dog walkers, families, and children.”
Environmental impact
Concerns about wildlife and the natural environment were also raised.
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A resident said: “The relatively high percentage of trees to be removed on the proposed site would have a huge impact to the visual aesthetics and character of the location.”
Flooding and contamination
Other objections highlighted historical issues with flooding and ground contamination.
One resident said: “There is a history of flooding at the south of the proposed development.”
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Another raised health concerns, saying: “The houses that were demolished on site in the late 80s contained asbestos that was never removed from the site.”
“This will lead not only to significant and widespread contamination within the houses, but also presents significant long term health hazards…”
Ground instability and sustainability
Residents questioned the suitability of the land, with one noting: “Local knowledge indicates that temporary properties built here in the 1970s were removed due to ground instability.”
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Others said the development was unsustainable.
One objection stated: “Leeholme itself has no employment and basic facilities… Its simply not sustainable.”
Education and services
Concerns were also raised about pressure on schools and other services.
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One resident said: “The nearest secondary school is King James in Bishop Auckland, last year it was 150 over capacity and this year 173 with literally no space for one more chair.”
Councillor James Stephenson, of Reform Shildon and Dene Valley, supported residents’ concerns.
He said: “Leeholme does not offer the range of services, employment opportunities or public transport links required to support an additional 70 dwellings.”
“The impacts of safety and congestion are likely to be significant.”
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However, not all councillors were opposed.
Councillor Michael Ramage, Independent member for Shildon and Dene Valley, supported the development.
He said: “The development will be for the greater good and of benefit to a significant number of constituents, who have not voiced objections, and in my view, would be for the economic good of the area.”
Dr. Peter Attia, a medical influencer whose emails with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in the latest U.S. Justice Department release of files, has resigned a post with CBS News.
Attia, podcast host and author of “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity,” was one of a group of people named last month by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss as a contributor to network programming. He was the subject of a “60 Minutes” profile that ran on the network last October.
But shortly after the appointment, Attia’s name surfaced in hundreds of Epstein documents. While Attia said he was guilty of no wrongdoing and did not attend any of Epstein’s sex parties, he admitted in an apology earlier this month that some of his emails were “embarrassing, tasteless and indefensible.”
Despite some public pressure, CBS News did not cut ties with Attia after the documents surfaced. Instead, Attia resigned from the network on his own, according to published reports confirmed by CBS News on Monday.
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Attia is one of several public figures, including some in the corporate and public sectors, whose relationships with Epstein have surfaced in recent weeks, causing resignations.
This group of talented musicians played several innovative and energetic sets of Scottish Dance Music during their first spot featuring a few of John’s own compositions including Linsey and Troy’s Wedding March.
Biggar Accordion & Fiddle Club members met on Sunday, February 8, with guests the John Burns Scottish Dance Band.
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But before that members were entertained by local musicians, with accordionists Andrea Balderson, Adam Gibb, Jim Gold, Sam Gray, Marshall Harkness, Fin Hope, James Milner, James Watson and Scott Wilson.
On fiddle were Gilbert Logan and Sarah Wilson and on piano Keith Dickson, Jim Gold and Dorothy Lawson. On drums were Andrew Barrie, Fin Hope, Tom Hope and Alex Lyall.
Guest bandleader, accordionist John Burns, who now stays in Shotts, was ably accompanied by Stuart Cameron on second accordion, Neil Ferguson on fiddle, Craig Paton on piano and Alan Sutherland on drums.
This group of talented musicians played several innovative and energetic sets of Scottish Dance Music during their first spot featuring a few of John’s own compositions including Linsey and Troy’s Wedding March.
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During the second half, this well-organised band performed Jean Peyronnin’s Marche Aux Etoiles (March to the Stars), as a Boston Two-Step, which was well received by the club’s attentive audience.
As always, thanks to the ladies who provided the half time buffet and to Andrew Barrie on the bar. On Sunday, March 8, the club will meet again at Biggar Bowling Club at 2pm with guests Rory Matheson and his Scottish Dance Band from Glasgow.
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Airing last night, the show stars Natalie Dormer as none other than Sarah Ferguson, and Mia Mckenna-Bruce as Jane Andrews, a working class woman who found herself elevated to becoming Fergie’s royal ‘dresser’ – before being tried and convicted for murdering her boyfriend, Thomas Cressman.
The story became a sensation in the early Noughties, and had all the hallmarks of a salacious story: the royals, a brutal death and a tabloid press fuelling it all.
The Lady has been described by its showrunner, Debbie O’Malley, as a “toxic fairytale”, and it certainly is that. Jane Andrews’ fall from grace, from Buckingham Palace all the way to the Old Bailey – is tragic and compelling. But how much of it really happened? We dive into Andrews’ life, with the help of court reports and interviews.
A working-class background
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Jane Andrews arriving at the Old Bailey in London (Peter Jordan/PA)
PA Archive
Andrews was born in April 1967 in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. Her family was working class: her father worked as a joiner, and her mother as a social worker. Jane was bright and got a place at the local grammar school, before the family’s debts forced them to move to Grimsby.
“I remember one day we didn’t have enough to buy a loaf of bread and Mum had us looking down the sides of the settee and in our coats for money to scrape together,” she said in a 2003 interview. Around this time, she also started to struggle with her mental health, with depression, panic attacks and an eating disorder; she tried to take her own life for the first time at the age of 15.
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She also began the pattern that would haunt her life, of seeking unhealthy relationships for validation. “I would sleep with someone, possibly on the first date, because I was frightened if I didn’t they would go,” she told the Guardian. “I allowed men to do anything they wanted to me.”
At Grimsby, the young Andrews enrolled at Hereford Secondary School – but her continual truancy affected her grades, and an abortion she had at the age of 17 traumatised her further. Eventually, after receiving only her O-levels, she abandoned A-levels to study fashion at the Grimsby College of Art.
Irene Smith, one of her lecturers, told the Telegraph later that she remembered her as somebody whose primary motivation was “to get out of Grimsby”.
“I had no doubt when I was teaching her that she would move on quickly. She knew what she wanted in life, and she had a particular style,” she said. “She desperately wanted to get on. She was really, really determined to succeed.”
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Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson,Caroline Fabar as Ruth and Ella Bruccoleri as Angela
Jonathan Ford/Left Bank/Sony Pictures Television
After graduating, the young Andrews worked as a sales assistant for Marks & Spencer in Grimsby, when she saw an advertisement for a personal dresser in The Lady magazine. She applied, and six months later got an interview with the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, who at that point was pregnant with Princess Beatrice.
The pair got on well, and Andrews ended up with the job, starting in July 1988.
“I was running away from all the horrible things in my past that Grimsby represented,” she said later. “I arrived at King’s Cross with a suitcase and £10 in my pocket. I got in a taxi and said, ‘Side door of Buckingham Palace’ and the driver made a joke.” Upon arrival, she found flowers waiting for her, along with a card saying ‘Welcome to the team’, signed, ‘The Boss.’
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Andrews quickly learned to fit in, dropping her northern accent so fast that Fergie later jokingly called her ‘Lady Jane’. She also loved the job – although she found it demanding, and newspaper reports later labelled her a grasping social climber for her attempts to fit in.
“I was a country bumpkin,” she told the Guardian. “Suddenly, I was at Balmoral mixing with the royals, having long chats with Princess Diana. I was 21 years old and of course I enjoyed it. If my accent changed it was only because people made fun of the way I said ‘bath’ and ‘grass’. Fergie was headstrong, but she was good to me.”
Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson
Jonathan Ford/Left Bank/Sony Pic
She also fell in love: in April 1989, Andrews met IBM executive Christopher Dunn-Butler. He was 21 years her senior, but that didn’t seem to matter: Andrews called him “happy-go-lucky”, and within three months, he had proposed, and the pair married in August 1990.
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After a few years, though, the marriage struggled. Andrews had a few affairs, and described the pair as being “more like good friends” rather than a couple. But soon after, she met Greek shipping magnate Dimitri Horne.
They fell in love, and she moved in with him – to a flat the Duchess had rented for her. At this time, the pair were closer than ever, bonding over their failed marriages (hers to Andrew was foundering around the same time) and travelling around the world together. In an introduction to one of her books, the Duchess included a tribute to Andrews, “whose loyalty and kindness knows no bounds.”
However, more trouble was on the horizon. Her relationship with Horne was struggling; when he told her he wanted to end their affair, she reportedly started breaking things around the flat, leading him to give a statement to police.
“On the mantelpiece in the living room was a cup and saucer that I knew was very special to him and I smashed it. I went through his journal with a black marker pen and blanked out all the references to myself. I picked up his telephone and smashed that as well,” she told the Guardian. “I’m ashamed of what I did. I’ve never done that to anyone else’s possessions.”
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She attempted suicide again, but survived. In November 1997, she was made redundant from her job at the palace.
Mia Mckenna-Bruce as Jane Andrews
Jonathan Ford/Left Bank/Sony Pictures Television
After this news (apparently the result of cost-cutting exercises on the part of the palace), Andrews sank into a deep depression. She felt she had been badly treated by Fergie, her employer, who had apparently told her weeks ago that, “I’ll never get rid of you”, and didn’t tell her about the redundancy in person.
After some difficulty finding a job, she eventually got one with Knightsbridge jewellers Theo Fennell (father of Emerald) and Annabel Jones, which was where she eventually met Thomas Cressman in 1998.
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He was a successful businessman: his father was the former director of Aston Villa, and he himself had worked as a stockbroker. The pair fell head over heels; later reports claimed that Andrews saw a life with him as a means to get back into high society, and became obsessed with the idea of a proposal.
“It was such a complex relationship that we had,” Andrews told the Guardian. “I was the ultimate in insecurity. He was the ultimate in commitment-phobia. I would threaten to leave. He would tell me to leave. Then he would reel me back in. He knew which carrots to dangle. He knew which strings to pull.”
It was volatile, too, with Andrews alleging that Cressman had an interest in kink and BDSM, and enjoyed humiliating and hurting her.
In the summer of 2000, the pair went on holiday to the south of France, but things ended in disaster. Reports suggested that Andrews had been expecting a proposal, only for Cressman to tell her he wasn’t planning on proposing at all – though Andrews herself disputes this.
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Things escalated on their return to Cressman’s flat in Fulham. At one point, he phoned the police, telling the operator that, “we are rowing, someone is going to get hurt unless… I would like [the] police to come and split us up.”
Nobody did, and later, his body was found. Andrews had beaten him with a cricket bat and stabbed him with a kitchen knife, before going on the run. She was later found in a car in Cornwall, having taken an overdose.
Mia Mckenna-Bruce as Jane Andrews
James Pardon/Sony Pictures Television/Left Bank
Andrews went on trial for the murder in 2001, amid a storm of tabloid interest. At the trial, Andrews’ defence reiterated her claim that Cressman had been sexually and physically violent towards her – and added that her depression “would have heightened her sense of fear and helplessness.”
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Cressman’s family hit back, describing them as a “whole tissue of lies,” and eventually the jury convicted Andrews of murder rather than manslaughter.
“In killing the man you loved, you ended his life and ruined your own,” the judge told her during the sentencing.
Ultimately, Andrews was sentenced to life in prison, starting her sentence in HMP Bullwood Hall in Essex. There was an escape in 2009, where she jumped the walls after being transferred to an open prison, and holed up in a nearby Premier Inn with her family, until she was caught and brought back.
Despite repeated attempts to appeal the sentence, Andrews remained incarcerated until her release in 2019. Upon her release, she found work in a supermarket, but lost the job when her identity was discovered. Now 57, she apparently works as a charity-funded animal hospital: a quiet life, for a woman whose tragic story has been dragged through the media yet again.
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Harriet Wistrich, CEO of Centre for Women’s Justice, who represented Jane Andrews at her appeal in 2003, added that “she long ago served her prison sentence and has attempted to move on, but due to her past employment with the now discredited section of the Royal family, she continues to be the subject of media interest, intensified each time when yet another one-sided TV programme is made about her case.
“Jane has not contributed to ‘The Lady’ despite it purportedly being about her life, nor has she contributed to any of the previous multiple TV documentaries made about her. The public are thus presented with a one-sided view that fails to explore why a vulnerable woman in her circumstances may have been driven to kill.”
Crash victim Claire was described as ‘beautiful, funny, smart and loving’
Husna Anjum and Rob Kennedy
20:50, 23 Feb 2026
A mum lost her life when a driver smashed into her at “unbelievable speed”. Claire Laybourne was returning from taking her mum to a trip to the theatre as part of her Christmas present, she cautiously overtook a broken down car on the A19 in North Tyneside.
Ryan Scott then drove onto the scene at 114mph in a car he wasn’t insured to drive. Chronicle Live reports that although the car’s emergency braking system kicked in, he was still doing 88mph when he smashed into Claire’s car.
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Claire was fatally injured and her mother badly hurt as “cowardly” Scott fled the scene on foot, Newcastle Crown Court heard. The 28-year-old, formerly of Chasedale Crescent, Cowpen, Blyth, has been jailed for ten years.
It was around 10.30pm of December 5 last year that Claire, mum of seven-year-old George and 22-year-old Faye, had been out with her mum, Heather Appleby, for a meal followed by a show at Sunderland Empire theatre. They were returning home, with Claire, 39, driving her VW T-Roc north on the A19.
It was raining and there were no street lights on the road, as they approached the Holystone turn off. A man had broken down shortly before the turn off in his Volvo and his car had come to a stop in the left hand lane and he had put his hazard lights on to warn others of the obstruction.
Claire, of Hebburn, saw the broken down car and slowed to 20 to 30mph indicating to overtake it. As a motorist behind her prepared to do the same, he checked his wing mirror.
Glenn Gatland, prosecuting, said: “As he did so, he heard a very loud engine noise which he described as shocking him. He saw the vehicle passing him at an ‘unbelievable speed’, in his words, with such magnitude it caused his van to rock from side to side with wind resistance.
“He then heard a bang ‘like a bomb going off’.” The Skoda Fabia driven by Scott had smashed into the Claire’s car, lifted off the ground, cleared the full height of the T-Roc then hit a barrier, spinning through 360 degrees a number of times.
Mr Gatland said data from the Skoda showed that seconds before the impact, it was doing 114mph with 100% acceleration, meaning it was going at the maximum possible speed. An automated braking system had activated, reducing its speed to 88mph at the point of impact.
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After the crash, a witness spoke to Scott at the scene before he ran away north up the A19, not looking back. Claire, who had suffered extensive fractures to the base of her skull and multiple rib fractures, was airlifted to hospital but subsequently died with her family at her bedside.
Her mum suffered broken ribs, bleeding on the brain, severe whiplash, cuts and bruises. In a victim impact statement, Heather said: “Emotionally, I am a complete mess.
“I feel terrible guilt because Claire and I had been to see a show at the Sunderland Empire and she was taking me home when the accident happened. The show was a treat from Claire for me as an early Christmas present.
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“We had had a great night out with a lovely meal before the show. This was the sort of thing Claire and I enjoyed doing.
“We were very close, she was my only daughter and she was my best friend. I feel guilty because I survived when she had so much more living to do.
“I am still getting flashbacks from the aftermath from the accident although I do not remember the actual collision. I have horrible nightmares.
“I close my eyes and all I can see is Claire next to me holding her hand while she was dying and I could do nothing to help her. I am terrified every time I have to go in a car.
“If it’s dark or raining, I just sit and cry in the back seat. Losing my daughter in such a senseless way is something I can’t come to terms with.
“I am sure everyone thinks that their daughter is wonderful, but my girl truly was. The loss of Claire is something I don’t think I’ll ever get over but the loss to her partner Ben, her daughter Faye and her little boy George is truly horrendous.
“Claire was beautiful, funny, smart and loving. She was the kindest person I’ve ever known and it was a privilege to be her mother.”
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Claire’s daughter, Faye, 22, who lives in New Zealand, said: “My mam was the most loving, kind and happy person you could ever meet. She had a way of making people feel loved, welcomed and cared for, and she was deeply loved by so many.
“She left a lasting impact on everyone who knew her, and the loss of her has been felt far beyond our immediate family. My mam was the kindest person I’d ever met, she was never involved in any confrontation, earning her the nickname ‘Can’t confront Claire’.
“My mam loved and accepted everyone for who they were. She lit up every room she walked in too, if she was smiling so was everybody else in the room.
“I really did think that with us having such a small age gap that we would have forever together. I was so privileged to have a mam, and a best-friend in one even though everyone thought we were sisters.
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“The way my mam was taken from us has caused unimaginable pain. Her death was sudden, violent and unfair.
“We were robbed from the chance to say goodbye, and she was robbed from the chance to live the life she deserved. Knowing that the person responsible chose to leave her there has added a level of trauma and heartbreak that is hard to put into words.
“Our family has been permanently broken by this loss. There is an empty space that can never be filled.
“This is not something that time will heal. It is something we will carry with us every day for the rest of our lives.
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“I want the court to understand that my mam was not just a name or a statistic. She was a loving mother, a happy and caring person and someone who mattered deeply.
“Her life had meaning, and her death has caused lifelong pain to those she left behind especially her children.”
Claire’s fiance, Ben Dewar, added: “There are no words that can truly describe, express and explain the impact Claire’s death has had on our family. Claire was my partner, my soulmate, and my person.
“She was kind, caring, funny, loving, and full of warmth. She had a way of lighting up every room she entered and made people feel safe and valued simply by being herself.
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“The impact on our son, George, has been devastating. He has lost his mam, the person who should have been there to guide him, comfort him, and watch him grow, to be there for all of his milestone moments in life.
“George and Claire were so close. He was the apple of her eye.
“Explaining to a seven-year-old, in the family room of the RVI that his mam is going to die, to watch him struggle to breathe and sob uncontrollably and for him to ask “why my mam” is the hardest moment of my life, one that again I replay in my head a thousand times a day. He gripped my hand tightly at Claire’s funeral, offering me the support Claire would usually be there to give.
“George is unable to sleep in his own room since Claire was killed. He seeks the reassurance dad is there and holds me tightly when I eventually come to bed.”
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Ben added: “We were planning to get married this September. I had booked a trip to New York for her 40th birthday.
“The loss of Claire has left a permanent void in my life. I am lost without her.
“I live with constant sadness, sadness that she is gone, sadness that our future together will never be fulfilled, and sadness that I have lost the person who was my home. There is not a minute that passes where I do not feel her absence in every room.
“Claire was deeply loved by everyone she met. She truly touched so many people.
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“She mattered. Our life together mattered.
“The impact of her death is not temporary — it is lifelong, we have the life sentence in all of this. It affects how I live, how I parent, how I see the future, and who I am as a person.”
Scott, who has 13 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, causing death while uninsured and failing to stop after an accident. Jailing him for ten years and banning him from driving for 13 years and eight months, Judge Tim Gittins branded his decision to flee “cowardly”.
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He said of Claire’s death: “It was unnecessary, wholly avoidable, simply because of your arrogant decision to drive and to drive in that manner.”
When Scott was arrested the following day he tested positive for cocaine but prosecutors could not prove if he had taken it before or after the crash. The judge said while he suspected he had taken it before the collision he disregarded it from his decision on sentence.
The court heard Scott had only past his driving test last summer and had been using his friend’s car for a few days before the accident. He told police in interview of the conditions that night: “I could hardly see mate, it was f****** bucketing”.
He said he adapted to the conditions by putting his wipers on faster. Penny Hall, defending, said groundworker Scott had used his friend’s car to go shopping and having caused the collision through his excessive speed, he “panicked” and fled the scene.
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She added that he is remorseful, has insight and it’s his first time in prison. The court heard references from friends and family speak highly of him and he had a troubled childhood.
