It’s been a hard day’s Knight... arise Sir Ringo
Sir Ringo and wife Barbara yesterday and inset, Fab Four with their MBEs in 1965 A HEARTBROKEN mother whose toddler died when the car she had been left in rolled down a slipway into a river has said she will “live with the guilt for the rest of my life”.
Kim Rowlands left two-yearold Kiara Moore in her Mini while she popped into the family’s outdoor activities business on Monday afternoon.
While out of her sight, the car rolled 150 yards down a ramp into the River Teifi, near Cardigan Castle in West Wales, and was totally submerged.
When the 25-year-old came back moments later she feared it had been stolen, with her “little angel” strapped in on the back seat and alerted police.
Devastated
She also posted frantically on Facebook: “Can everyone look out for the car, it’s been stolen with my three-year-old daughter in it. Please share!”
But officers arriving at the scene braved the icy waters where they found the vehicle with Kiara still inside.
The toddler, who was due to turn three next week, was pronounced dead after being flown to hospital.
In a heartbreaking post on Facebook yesterday, the grieving mother said she had no one to blame but herself.
She wrote: “Sadly yesterday my beautiful baby girl passed away! Due to my own stupidity, I will have to live with the guilt for the rest of my life!
“Mummy loves you baby girl and I’m so sorry!”
Kiara’s devastated father Jet Moore, 40, told on Facebook how a minor mishap had led to the tragedy. He said: Kim Rowlands with partner Jet Moore and little Kiara “They got in the car to go home. Sat on bank card which snapped and needed money to get home etc.
“Went back to the office to get money from the desk and came back to no car.
“The police found the car a while later and went way beyond the call of duty jumping in and pulling her out.
“They tried to revive her for hours but unfortunately could not. Everyone done their best.
“She was an incredible happy young girl who lived a great adventurous, fun life.”
No arrests have been made over the incident outside the centre which runs activities BEATLES legend Ringo Starr finally received a knighthood yesterday – and vowed to “wear it at breakfast”.
More than 50 years ago Sir Ringo, 77, sported the MBE he received as one of the Fab Four on the cover of the Sgt Pepper album.
And he said he planned to go on in the same vein after collecting the knighthood described by musicals writer Sir Tim Rice as the “most overdue of all time”.
Sir Ringo was accompanied by his wife Barbara Bach at the ceremony in Buckingham Palace, where he received his honour from the Duke of Cambridge. The drummer – named Sir Richard Starkey – said he was shocked to get the letter that he was to be knighted for services to music.
It came just over 20 years after fellow Beatle Paul McCartney received a knighthood and 17 years after George Harrison turned down an OBE.
He said: “It would have been great if we were all here. I miss John and I miss George.”
Revealing he had dinner with Paul, 75, only last week, he added: “We were both laughing about where we came from, and we’ve ended up in the Palace and it’s now Sir Paul and Sir Richard.”
The Beatles’ first visit to the Palace came in October 1965 when all four collected MBEs from the Queen. They were so nervous they went for a cigarette in the Palace loos.
Sir Ringo, who flew over from his Beverly Hills home with his family for yesterday’s ceremony, said: “It was crazy because we were just four lads who played music. I was a bit shaky today on my own.”
The star said Prince William “loves” The Beatles and they chatted about music.
Asked where a knighthood ranked in his list of achievements, he laughed: “Do you mean compared with a first No1? It’s right up there.”
Reminded that the Beatles wore their MBEs on the Sgt Pepper cover, he said: “With this one, I’ll be wearing it at breakfast.”
His presence at the Palace investiture thrilled even some of The slipway into the River Teifi yesterday including white-water rafting, canoeing and sea kayaking.
Specialist officers will now investigate whether the electronic “button” handbrake on the Mini was activated before the car rolled down the concrete slipway which is used for kayaks to enter the water.
Yesterday a spokesman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation. The vehicle was recovered from the river early this morning. HM Coroner has been advised.
“Kiara’s family are being supported by specially trained officers.” Noel Lewis, who owns a garage by the slipway, said he often saw the silver Mini parked there.
He said: “It’s concrete, about four or five foot, going down into the river bed, which is quite deep.
“If the Mini rolled back then the poor little girl didn’t stand a chance. It’s awful. Kiara was the most wonderful little girl.”
Grandmother Glynis Moore said: “Lovely grandchild Kiara lost her life tonight bless her love her so much.”
And Elin Jones, Assembly Member for Ceredigion, tweeted: “Awful news. A young, innocent life taken so tragically.” the other famous names there. Novelist Jilly Cooper, 81, who received a CBE, said: “I touched him. I’ve always wanted to touch a Beatle. He was lovely and much better looking in the flesh.”
Jilly started out as a local newspaper reporter on the Middlesex Independent in 1956 and has had huge success writing racy novels about upper-class charmers, polo players and equestrian sports.
Her next novel Tackle is about football but features a character who tries to save a local paper.
Jilly said: “We need our local newspapers. They are the guardians of democracy.”
War Horse author Sir Michael Morpurgo, 74, also got a knighthood and joked that it belonged to Joey, equine hero of his 1982 children’s book. He said: “It’s Sir Joey really, not Sir Michael.”