Tributes as mum of Worcestershire crash victim Leo Painter dies
The tribute also said: "I'm absolutely heartbroken but I know you just couldn't stay without Leo, he needed you more. "Go and find your little boy and play together for eternity.. I'm sure he was waiting at those pearly gates for you.. no one can ever separate you again."I will always treasure our times together and the memories we made."
Courtney Hemming, 26, and Claire Adkins, 39, died at the scene of the crash in February 2024, and Leo passed away shortly after arriving at hospitalJoe-Lewis Tyler, of no fixed address, had been driving a BMW 3 Series on 22 February at about 90mph in a 50mph area on a wet afternoon.Tyler admitted three counts of causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed in August last year.His sentence also accounted for his pleading guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and three counts of causing death whilst driving without insurance.As he drove down the A44, he crashed into a white Ford Mondeo carrying the victims, who had just left Leo's school, Abigail's Place.
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Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I woke up from a four-week coma and my best friend was dead... a driver had smashed into us at 101mph - I've had to learn to do EVERYTHING again - and he's been caught offending AGAIN
When Harriet Barnsley woke up from a four-week coma following a devastating crash that killed her best friend, she had no idea what was wrong. The 21-year-old university student had to ask her mother 'what had happened to her' and why she couldn't move a single part of her body. She had broken her arms, legs, wrists and suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a speeding driver travelling at 101mph on a 40mph road. It was May 31, 2014, and Harriet had been standing at a bus stop with her childhood best friend Rebecca McManus on their way to a hen party. She had travelled home to Birmingham for the night out after finishing her final exam at the University of Reading the day before. Harriet and Rebecca were stood waiting for the bus when two cars - that were racing each other - charged around the corner at speeds upwards of 100mph. One of the drivers lost control and smashed into both of them. Rebecca was killed instantly, while Harriet was catapulted around 50 yards into a park behind. More than a decade after the tragedy Harriet, now 32, still pretends her best friend is away studying at university to cope with the grief. Speaking to MailOnline this week, Harriet, who has started sharing her story on her TikTok account @hazzzzab, opened up about her devastating ordeal. Harriet (pictured) had travelled home to Birmingham for the night out after finishing her final exam at the University of Reading the day before It comes after dangerous driver Sukvinder Mannan, who killed Rebecca and seriously injured Harriet, was caught offending again after spending just four years in prison. The sales rep, 42, who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in 2015, was picked by police after speeding through a red light and found without a licence. He was put back behind bars for 12 weeks in February last year and was banned from driving for a further 770 days. Harriet said: 'I have had to piece together what happened because I do not remember any of it. 'I woke up from a coma around four weeks later to the worried faces of my family and friends and found out what had happened. 'Becky and I had been best friends from the age of five to 21. She was killed instantly and apparently I was found sat up screaming. 'I do not remember it but I am so glad that I don't. The worst possible thing that could happen to me has already happened. 'However, when I found out about what happened to Becky I felt like I needed to live for us both.' Since the crash, Harriet has undergone numerous operations and has lost the use of her left foot, leaving her physically disabled. Rebecca McManus (pictured), 21, died after she was hit by Mannan's out-of-control high-powered Mitsubishi at a bus stop on Hagley Road in Quinton, near Birmingham city centre She explained, however, that while she threw herself into her physical recovery, she has struggled emotionally. Harriet said she developed psychosis in 2019 which left her living in a continuous nightmare. She recalled: 'I never really let myself grieve. I just kind of got on with it and threw myself into the physical recovery as a way of coping with it. 'They said because I was physically fit - and that I was athletic that was one of the reasons I survived. 'So I kept on doing that, kept on just trying to cope and get on with it for as long as possible. 'And then I met a neuropsychologist in 2015 and they said if I continued to box in my emotions, there was going to be catastrophic consequences. 'I read the report and was like well you don't know me - I'm not going to let myself break down because I don't know if I will ever be able to get back up again. 'And then five years later low and behold I had ran out of stream and I started a masters at Birmingham University. 'I'd got an unconditional acceptance on, and started it, and then realised that I couldn't keep it up. Harriet, pictured in hospital after the accident, bounced off the car three times and was in a coma for four weeks at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham 'That kind of halted my everything and led me to getting depressed - with that depression leading me to developing psychosis, which is when I just checked out of reality. 'I couldn't handle it. I got picked up on the motorway in the middle of the night in January 2019.' Harriet, who has now recovered after spending time in hospital, said she wants to change the stigma that still exists around psychosis. She has also campaigned for a crackdown on dangerous driving and wants to 'make people think twice before they get behind the wheel'. Harriet said: 'I started social media because people would get in contact with me and ask me to speak about road safety and what I've gone through. 'At one anniversary for people who have died in car crashes I just broke down and then I discovered it is really hard to do in person. 'I then tried working out a way to put it online rather than having to deliver it as a speech to a crowd of people. 'That is why I started TikTok. I want to share my story. I don't know how to stop dangerous driving and I don't know how to actually make a difference. 'All I know is that the minimum I can do is make someone think twice before they get behind the wheel of a car. 'Psychosis is also massively misunderstood and not spoken about enough. 'Celebrities do talk about it but people are afraid of psychosis without really understanding it. 'I have been trying to raise awareness through writing a book and on social media. 'And just the idea that you can cope with anything. I've made it through the worst thing physically I could ever possibly experience and then the worst thing, mentally that I've ever experienced. 'But now I have the rest of my life left to enjoy and I want to help others.' The men responsible for the crash that killed Rebecca and seriously injured Harriet were both jailed in 2015. During the trial, witness Lindsey Grant described their driving as like 'a scene out of the film The Fast and The Furious'. Sukvinder Mannan, then 33, from Halesowen, West Midlands, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to provide a blood sample following the crash. In November 2015, Mannan was jailed for eight years at Wolverhampton Crown Court. Inderjit Singh, then 31, of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. However he had previously admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for one year. As well as the jail terms, Mannan was banned from driving for 10 years and Singh was disqualified for three.
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Cost of policing protests outside hotel ‘housing asylum seekers' hits £100,000
The cost of policing protests outside a hotel in Essex believed to be housing asylum seekers has reached £100,000, police said. Eight police officers were injured following what started as a peaceful protest outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on Thursday evening. The latest protest, on Sunday, saw more than 100 demonstrators assemble outside the hotel with some chanting 'save our kids'. Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow, of Essex Police, said the cost of policing the incidents in Epping over the last week has reached £100,000. He said: 'The cost of policing criminal incidents in Epping over the last week has reached £100,000 – money which we would much rather spend on continuing to cut crime across Essex and keeping our neighbourhoods safe.' A man has appeared before a court and denied a charge of violent disorder following a protest outside the hotel. Thursday's demonstration was one of a series of protests outside the hotel since asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault following an incident where he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Kebatu denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Thursday. Essex Police said six people were arrested on Sunday evening and remain in custody, including a 17-year-old male on suspicion of causing criminal damage to a police car. Four were arrested on Sunday for alleged offences during Thursday's protest, police said. Mr Anslow said: 'What we have seen in Epping over the last week is not protest, it's hooliganism and the people responsible for it can expect to be held accountable. 'To those who seek to use social media to peddle untruths and lies about the incidents in Epping on Thursday and Sunday, you won't win. 'The very people you are criticising are police officers who have families, who live in our communities and want to keep them safe. 'These are the same people who have been antagonised with threatening and abusive language, they've had missiles thrown at them and they've been injured. 'Once again, to anyone who somehow thinks we will tolerate this behaviour – think again. He added: 'We don't take sides; we arrest criminals and we have a duty to ensure no-one is hurt – it really is that simple. 'There continues to be a visible policing presence in Epping today and that will remain in the coming days.'
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Double decker bus crashes into bridge in Manchester
Emergency services declared a major incident after a double decker bus had its roof ripped off after crashing into a bridge in Manchester. Greater Manchester Police said they were responding to a collision between a bus and a bridge at the junction of Barton Road and Trafford Road in Eccles around 3pm on Monday. 'Emergency services are currently on scene as part of the ongoing work. Please avoid the area as road closures are currently in place.' At least 15 people were injured, North West Ambulance Service, who received a call around 3pm, declared a major incident shortly afterwards and treated people at the scene. Footage circulated on social media appears to show a yellow double decker bus hitting a bridge with a 3.5m height limit signposted on it. Some 10 emergency ambulances, advanced paramedics, the Hazard Area Response Team (HART) and colleagues from North West Air Ambulance attended the scene. Patients were taken to Salford Royal and Manchester Royal Infirmary hospitals. The ambulance service stood down the major incident status around 4.22pm, but continue to remain on scene. Transport for Greater Manchester confirmed the bus was a 100 service and was in operation at the time of the incident. Vernon Everitt, Transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: 'First and foremost, our thoughts are with everyone on board the bus. Our absolute focus has been on supporting emergency services in their response, with some people treated at the scene and some taken to hospital. "An immediate and urgent investigation into the circumstances is underway and we are working closely with the investigation team at Greater Manchester Police and the bus operator, Stagecoach. 'This is clearly a distressing situation for everyone involved and we'd like to thank emergency services for their swift response.' Road closures have been put in place and the area remains busy. An investigation is underway at the scene and the damaged bus has been removed from the scene. The transport operator warned some local congestion might take place as diversions were put in place into the evening. 'In order to support people making journeys in the area, bus tickets are being accepted on the Eccles and Trafford Park Metrolink lines while road diversions are in place,' the operator said.
