I STILL LOVE THE DRIVER WHO KILLED MY SON
Mum’s compassion for her boy’s big mate
It’s clear from the pain etched on his face he has to live the rest of his life with that burdent Mum Karissa
A LEARNER driver who killed his close friend after “stupidly” taking pals for a spin in his new car has walked free from court.
Ryan Nicholson caused the death of 17-year-old Ricky Tynemouth, who was “almost like a brother”, when he lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa on a bend.
Nicholson only had a provisional licence, was not insured and none of his four young friends in the car were qualified drivers.
Witnesses said the car was like a “blue flash” in the lead up to the fatal accident, but police were unable to prove speed had caused the loss of control.
After he failed to correct the car when it fishtailed, it hit a cut off telegraph pole and rolled over before coming to a rest in a hedge.
As well as killing Ricky, the three other lads in the car, all under 18, suffered injuries, but Nicholson walked away unscathed – and then ran away from the scene in a panic.
The 19-year-old admitted causing death by careless driving and related motoring offences and was given a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.
A heart-rending statement from Ricky’s mum, Karissa, outlined the devastating impact his death has had, although she says she still loves Nicholson, who had been friends with her son since nursery.
“I never realised when he said ‘goodbye mam’ that day it would be the last time I would hear his voice,” she said.
“He went out to spend an hour or so with his friends while I cooked tea for the family.
“I wish I had hugged and kissed him. I wish he had eaten his tea. I wish he had wanted to stay home with me rather than go out.
“Every day I wake up and remember all over again that our worst nightmare is true.
“Ricky was a regular lad, extremely sociable, outgoing, kind and was charming and always looking for fun and a good time. He had hundreds of friends and was loved so much. “As a family, I don’t think we will ever come to terms with losing him. “At times my mind plays tricks on me and I think I have caught a glimpse of him. It’s never Ricky, it’s someone else’s son – just as tall, just as handsome.” Karissa, of Guide Post, Northumberland, says Ricky’s sisters, one aged just eight, have been left devastated. She said: “They both miss their brother terribly. He was not just their brother, he was their protector.” Of his grandparents losing their eldest grandson, she added: “They are devastated. It’s not supposed to happen this way, grandparents attending the funeral of their grandson.”
Ricky, who was on an apprenticeship in construction, was due to turn 18 in September last year.
“He was looking forward to celebrating with a party and going to Amsterdam. Instead, we visited the cemetery to lay flowers. When something like this happens you think you are supposed to feel angry. I don’t, I just feel sad – sad I will never know the man he would have been, sad I will never hold his children, sad I will never hold him in my arms again.”
Karissa said Ricky and Nicholson first met when they were around three or four at nursery.
She said: “They had a good solid friendship, almost like brothers.
“Ryan knows the impact it’s had on our lives. It’s clear from the pain etched on his face he has to live the rest of his life with that burden.
“Ryan was a good friend to my son and because of that I love him even though I don’t want to sometimes.
“I love my son so much and miss him every minute of every day. We all do.”
The court heard it was on April 13 last year around 7.20pm that the accident happened on the A196 Morpeth Road, near Choppington, in Northumberland.
Nicholson’s recently acquired blue Corsa was described by a couple it passed on a 30mph section as driving fast and being like a “blue flash”.
Shortly afterwards, the couple came across the car in a hedge after Nicholson had spun out of control at a sweeping bend on a 60mph stretch.
Nicholson climbed out unaided and said to witnesses there was no need to call the police before leaving the scene and discarding the car keys in some woods.
Ricky, who was sitting behind the driver’s seat, had suffered “catastrophic injuries” and died at the scene.
Another 17-year-old suffered fractures to his pelvis and collar bone, a punctured lung and a broken tooth, while a 15-year-old and another 17-year-old were also injured.
When Nicholson got to the home of his girlfriend, he had blood on his hands and he cleaned himself up and his clothes were put through the washing machine.
When he was arrested later on he said the car had fishtailed as he took the bend and he tried to correct it but failed. He said he panicked and ran off.
He said he had bought the car a month earlier and had had 30 hours of driving lessons and it was the first
time he had driven the Corsa on the road.
An accident investigator said driver error exacerbated by lack of driving experience was the primary cause of the accident. The car was destroyed.
Judge Amanda Rippon said: “He was driving, no doubt to impress his peers, and it’s described as a dangerous road.
“He had no driving licence, no insurance and he filled his car with young men and drove at excessive speed, such that he lost control because he was inexperienced.
“This behaviour is repeated by young men of his age all too often. We see articles in local newspapers where exactly this kind of thing has happened. “It’s a parent’s nightmare. “Young men, and women, need to understand that they drive a lethal machine when they get behind the wheel of a car.”
Nicholson, of Eastgreen, Scotland Gate, Choppington, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, having no licence or insurance, failing to stop and failing to report an accident. He was given 15 months suspended for two years with 200 hours unpaid work, a six-month curfew and a 12-month driving ban.
Geoff Knowles, defending, said: “He is genuinely remorseful and devastated by the effects of his actions.”