I was on FaceTime call with my best friend when she was killed in a horror car crash – her screams will haunt me forever
Ebony Neville heard tragic work colleague Stephanie Nye-Diroyan suddenly scream as the video call cut out.
9
Ivan Zailac and Stephanie Nye-Diroyan (right) just seconds before the fatal crash
Credit: Ebony Neville
9
Stephanie, 21, was killed in the horror collision
Credit: Central News
9
Ebony Neville (left) and Stephanie were best pals, having met at work months before
Credit: Ebony Neville
The 21-year-old then began frantically trying to call her friend back before getting into her own car and driving along the same route, eventually coming across the crash site.
Stephanie, 21, was a passenger in a BMW being driven by another work colleague, Ivan Zaliac, 24, when they ploughed into a lorry at nearly 100mph on Mollison Avenue, in Enfield North London.
Ebony told The Sun: "Seconds before the phone cut out you could hear the engine revving and Stephanie's scream - then it froze on her face."
She added: 'I tried to ring her back - I don't know what I was thinking had happened.
READ MORE NEWS
DEATH SMASH Sales exec killed colleague in 100mph horror crash - but walks free from court
'I then got in my car and I didn't know where to go, I knew that they were in Brimsdown, in that local area, but I had no idea where.'
Zaliac - who walked free from court last month after being deemed unfit to stand trial - had been giving Stephanie a lift on October 23 2022 after they finished work at nearby second hand car dealership Big Motoring World.
Ebony was ill that day and Stephanie had agreed to stop off to see her on her way home when she died.
The crash happened at 7.54pm.
'It was literally a quick call,' explained Ebony. 'She worked that day - it was a Sunday - and I wasn't in.
'It was a quick catch up, really. A catch up with a friend, that's all. She was such a good friend, she'd been non-stop checking in throughout the day - but couldn't ring me until she finished work.
'We were on the phone and then it froze on Stephanie's face, and the call cut out.'
Three pedestrians injured by falling rubble as van crashes through multi-storey car park wall in UK city centre
She added: 'I then rang her personal phone. I also rang Ivan's phone, both were disconnected and were being put through to voicemail.'
Ebony said she waited 20 minutes and was 'still ringing during this time… just to try and find out what had happened'.
She rang the police and found out there'd been a 'bad crash' in Brimsdown so 'drove around'.
'It wasn't too far from my house, it was about an 11-minute drive,' Ebony said.
'The road was blocked off. I hadn't been told who was involved in the crash or what had happened.
'I wasn't allowed to know any information.'
She was then directed to The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel in the East End, where Stephanie had been taken.
Holding back tears, Ebony said: 'I did everything I could that day and I wouldn't change anything. I went to the hospital… I wasn't allowed to know anything without Stephanie's mother knowing first.'
9
Zailac was deemed unfit to stand trial earlier this month
Credit: Central News
9
Mollison Avenue in Brimsdown where the crash took place
Credit: Google Maps
9
Stephanie and her mum Nicholle Diroyan (left)
Credit: Ebony Neville
A screen shot she captured of Stephanie during the call, a few minutes before the crash, was shown in court.
Ebony took to the stand to give evidence. She said: 'I was quite upset and ran out of the room immediately afterwards, and put myself together before returning.'
Zailac suffers from amnesia and doesn't remember the details of what happened after suffering a brain injury in the collision and subsequent psychiatric issues.
He had been ruled unfit to stand trial so the jury had to formally decide whether he did the act alleged, namely causing Stephanie's death by dangerous driving.
The jury then found he did carry out the act. Judge Sarah Munro, KC, said Zailac will be supervised by a nominated social worker and the Hillingdon mental health team for two years.
'This is the only way your mental health can be restored in order for a decision to be made as to whether there are further legal consequences for you to face,' the judge said. Prosecutor Frederick Hookway told the court that the Crown intends to put Zailac on trial if he recovers.
'The objective of this order is for the improvement of the defendant's mental health not only for his own sake but for the future of these proceedings,' he said.
'The crown do intend to reinstitute these proceedings when and if appropriate.'
Stephanie's mum Nicholle Diroyan sobbed as she read her victim impact statement at the Old Bailey on July 7.
She said: 'The pain of losing her is immeasurable and every day without her feels incomplete.'
Ebony, who now lives in Manchester, has launched a petition to try and ensure Stephanie's family get justice.
'There's been three years of constant delays and adjournments - and now we're told it'll be 2027 before we know if Ivan can even stand trial.
'It's the waiting. We're left in the dark.'.
'I feel so sorry for Stephanie's mum Nicholle - who's always at the court but then left frustrated each time.'
Ebony added: 'We were told the jury returned a verdict in a record time. Quickest for death by dangerous driving for 27 years.
'Despite this clear outcome, family and friends are waiting for justice.'
Referring to the two-year order, she said: 'It's a deterrent of the law, rather than an enforcement.'
She added: 'That grievance, when everything is brought back up. I'm quite shaky on this call, it's traumatic to relive the tragic crash and death of Stephanie.'
Ebony went on to say: 'Stephanie was the most lovely, genuine, outgoing person. She was there for her friends, she was there for her family.
'If anyone needed her, she'd message, she'd ring, she'd be there for you. To see her face in the newspaper in such a tragic way, and yet we're still yet to receive any justice, is so heartbreaking.'
Stephanie had hired Ebony several months before, and was her manager before being promoted to the finance department shortly prior to her death.
'We became friends so quickly,' she said. 'The week before she died we were in Manchester and Nottingham, just enjoying ourselves.
'I was always going round to hers and picking her up or going for lunch break.
'Sometimes we'd get a takeaway into work and would be sitting there with 10 different Greggs items. She was amazing.'
Ebony added: 'We believe she's looking down on us so proud of us all.'
For more on Ebony's petition see here.
Do you know more? Email ryan.merrifield@thesun.co.uk
9
Ebony had rushed out in her own car after learning about the crash
Credit: Ebony Neville
9
Stephanie with her pals Ella, Mia and Millie on a night out
Credit: Ebony Neville
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Brit tourist, 62, arrested near Disney World for ‘attempted murder' after ‘trying to drown his daughter-in-law in pool'
HOLS NIGHTMARE Brit tourist, 62, arrested near Disney World for 'attempted murder' after 'trying to drown his daughter-in-law in pool' A BRIT holidaymaker has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly tried to drown his daughter-in-law in a swimming pool. Mark Gibbon, 62, was reportedly on a luxury holiday with his family at the Solterra Resort, near Disney World in Florida, when he got into a feud about his will, authorities said. Advertisement 2 Brit granddad Mark Gibbon was arrested after allegedly trying to drown his daughter-in-law 2 He allegedly tried to drown her at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, Florida The granddad from Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, allegedly attempted to push the 33-year-old mum under the water at their holiday rental in a quarrel over the "stipulations of his will". His nine-year-old granddaughter leapt in the pool in an attempt to rescue her mum. But he pushed her away during the alleged attack in Davenport. Advertisement More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
My beloved cat Morris was mutilated & killed by sick torture cult – how psychos target YOUR pets to abuse in vile videos
A shocking online abuse ring that began in China is now taking root in the UK, with faceless, cowardly thugs charging for horrific torture videos inspired by a notorious killer KITTEN SLAYERS My beloved cat Morris was mutilated & killed by sick torture cult – how psychos target YOUR pets to abuse in vile videos EXCITEDLY opening a video sent from an unknown number, Caroline Prater's heart fluttered as she believed her beloved missing cat Morris had finally been found. Within moments she was 'completely destroyed' as the footage revealed her pet's lifeless body, having been all but decapitated and subjected to hours of torture for the pleasure of a demented online cult. 11 Caroline Prater has been scarred for life by the horrific torture and killing of her 11-year-old cat Morris Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 11 Footage of the beloved pet's mutilated corpse was sent to Caroline and shared amongst ghouls online Credit: SWNS 11 Vile murderer Luke Magnotta is feared to have inspired a growing online cult of cat abusers A shocking new investigation has discovered how thousands of sickos across the world - including Brits and children as young as ten - are sharing videos of cats being mutilated in vile online torture groups. Chillingly, it is claimed the depraved international network is so prolific that an execution or torture video has been uploaded every 14 hours over the space of a year. Among the most chilling discoveries were a three-month-old kitten allegedly impaled by children and another caged cat lowered to its death in boiling water. And now, experts have warned The Sun of potential links between the abominable abuse ring and a famous cat torturer and killer, warning such attacks could even escalate to murder in extreme cases. The sick snuff films are typically created by animal abusers in China, but increasingly police are investigating troubling links to the UK, too, after a spate of animal violence. This week, two Londoners, 16 and 17, who can't be named for legal reasons, were sentenced after cutting and stringing up cats in a grisly scene that involved knives, blowtorches and scissors. Caroline, 55, from Cadbury Heath, Bristol, knows the trauma such attacks can cause all too well after the 'absolutely horrific' videos of her 11-year-old therapy cat were posted to Snapchat for the 'thrill' of viewers. She tells The Sun: 'It's so harrowing. Who in their right minds would do that to an innocent animal. What do they get out of doing it? 'What they did to Morris is still raw nearly six years on. I had to quit my job as an animal therapist because people kept asking where he was and what happened to him. 'It completely destroyed me. You never get over it, I visualise him screaming in my head. The Sun's Alex West confronts murderer Luka Magnotta with photos the killer claims are 'photoshopped' "His head was hanging on by a piece of string. I had to go on tablets because I couldn't cope. 'Torture is going around everywhere. Animals are being skinned alive on social media, why can that be shown? It's horrendous.' '100 kill competitions' Activists from the international charity Feline Guardians Without Borders went undercover to expose the horrors of the cat abuse rings. Ghouls were found to be sharing vile videos for 'thrills' and even receiving payment from other twisted acolytes. Chillingly, UK-based members were found discussing how to adopt kittens from the RSPCA, with one monster posting a picture of an advert of cats for sale, saying they wanted to "torture them so bad", according to the BBC. Feline Guardians discovered 24 active groups this year alone, with the largest boasting more than 1,000 members. The most prolific user is said to have filmed 200 videos. We never found Morris, we don't know what happened to his body, all we found was blood and lots of fur stuck to the road Caroline Prater "I'm 10 years old and I like to torture cats," the member of one of these twisted forums proclaimed. Inside the groups, the discussions were described as 'the depths of evil' by activist Lara, of Feline Guardians, who went undercover. She found posts encouraging users to guess how long a cat could survive without food and others claimed they electrocuted animals to resuscitate them during torture sprees, prolonging their agony. 11 Kittens are being purchased to be tortured online, a new investigation has found Credit: BBC 11 Georgina Barnes and her cat Bubba, who was mutilated by a cat killer Credit: Damien McFadden 11 Murderer Scarlet Blake pictured in a cat-killing video Credit: PA 11 The monster was found guilty last year of murdering Jorge Martin Carreno Credit: PA Another self-proclaimed 'cat-lover community' urged members to 'submit your work' and some only allowed entry if they submitted evidence of them abusing pets. One particularly twisted group held a '100 cat kill competition' in September 2023 to see how quickly they could reach their target. Netflix killer The cases bear worrying similarities to videos filmed by Canadian Luka Magnotta, who was jailed for 25 years in 2014 for the murder of a Chinese lover. After an investigation by The Sun, he was unmasked as the man behind videos online that depicted kittens being killed in chilling ways and was the focus of 2019 Netflix documentary Don't F*** With Cats. His crimes have since inspired 'copycats' including Scarlet Blake, who was jailed in the UK last year after live-streaming herself mutilating a cat just four months before the brutal murder of stranger Jorge Martin Carreno. Teemu Saarenpää, 41, who runs true crime blog Forenseek, interviewed remorseless Magnotta after his conviction and fears these current killers are his 'soulmates'. 'Someone does it first and that opens the doors for others. There may be an epidemic nature to this and unfortunately animal torture seems to be a fetish for those like Magnotta,' he tells The Sun. 'Whether Magnotta directly or indirectly influenced them is tough to say… but the longing to inflict pain on a living being may link them to Magnotta, they may be his 'soulmates' in that sense." 11 Killer Luka Magnotta tortured cats in at least three twisted videos Credit: Collect 11 One of Magnotta's gruesome videos involved a kitten being fed to a python Credit: Netflix 11 The Sun covered the twisted footage shared online by Magnotta Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd When Teemu interviewed Magnotta, he insisted he wasn't an animal abuser, claiming he had been set-up or the videos were fake. The killer's motivation was fame, following failed stints as a model, and Teemu fears his acolytes may crave similar notoriety. He tells us: 'He was unreflective of his deeds and is clearly a wannabe celebrity who wanted to be famous and a glamorous god. 'Because he wasn't able to obtain that fame through any real talent, he decided to become infamous instead.' 'They tortured and killed him' Pet lover Caroline is horrified by the rising popularity of the online cult, especially after the horrors her cat Morris was subjected to in September 2019. Two days after he went missing, she watched the gut-wrenching videos and raced out to where the killing had been filmed - a road just a few doors from her home. 'We never found Morris, we don't know what happened to his body,' she tells us. 'All we found was blood and lots of fur stuck to the road, which I scraped off and still have to this day. 'Morris was absolutely wonderful, very loving, very friendly. He loved everybody. He was a therapy cat who helped children with cancer and adults with dementia. 'I had to give up my job, despite training for four years, because people would ask 'Where's Morris?' I'm still hoping someone comes forward. They tortured and killed him. Someone must know something.' There may be an epidemic nature to this and unfortunately animal torture seems to be a fetish for those like Magnotta Teemu Saarenpää No one has faced justice for the attack and Caroline, now a support worker, claims a further six cat decapitations happened in the area. It's not known whether Morris's killing was linked to the groups in China, but she says it is evidence of an escalating trend of abusing animals for fun and sharing it online. And PETA Vice President Mimi Bekhechi warns it's not just cats that are at risk but humans, too - as those who abuse animals often escalate to killing people. 'Anyone capable of inflicting such violence on a vulnerable animal poses a danger to the whole community if they're not urgently apprehended,' she told The Sun. Johanna Baxter MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cats, agrees that animal torture is often 'a gateway, making future acts of violence easier to rationalise and commit'. Lara, from Feline Guardians, also fears cat abuse rings 'will only continue to expand and get worse' without an urgent crackdown from the Chinese government and law enforcement. It was just an endless scroll of torture videos, one after the other... I felt, 'I just can't watch this'... I had to sort of turn off my brain Undercover Feline Guardians activist "In mainland China, there are no laws that are stopping this,' she told the BBC. 'So that means that abusers and torturers can effectively do what they want and live out these very sadistic fantasies without any consequence. 'These videos are then uploaded, and essentially that's a global problem, because that means that everyone has access to these videos. Children are seeing this.' Since the torture cult's links to the UK have been discovered, the RSPCA and other animal rights groups have called for a clampdown. PETA's Mimi added: 'If anyone hears or knows of a person funding or recording animal torture videos in the UK, we urge you to report them to the police immediately. 'If you are someone buying such a video, you will be found out, and in this country, we will ensure you face the full force of the law.'
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Teen boy fighting for his life after ‘hit-and-run' near to nursery as cops arrest 2 men on suspicion of attempted murder
CRASH HORROR Teen boy fighting for his life after 'hit-and-run' near to nursery as cops arrest 2 men on suspicion of attempted murder TWO men have been arrested after a teenage boy was left in a "critical condition" following a hit-and-run. The teen was rushed to hospital with "serious head injuries" after the horror smash in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on Monday night. 1 The hit-and-run left the teen in a critical condition Emergency services were scrambled to the scene on College Road, in Shelton, at around 6.30pm. Cops confirmed an 18-year-old had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Another man, 20, was also arrested on suspicion of murder. Staffordshire Police said the pedestrian was in a "stable but critical condition" after he was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital. A spokeswoman for the force said: "We have arrested two men after a car collided with a pedestrian in Stoke-on-Trent. "We were called at 6.30pm last night (August 4) to reports of a non-stop collision on College Road, Shelton, near to The Thomas Boughey Children's Centre. "A pedestrian, a teenage boy, was taken to hospital with serious head injuries. His condition is described as critical but stable. "The car, a dark blue BMW, has been recovered from near to Basford Park." West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "Two ambulances responded to the scene. "The pedestrian, a teenage boy, sustained serious injuries and received trauma care on scene before being alerted to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further emergency care." More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
