The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
MUM AND DAD KILLED IN HORROR CRASH
TRIBUTES PAID TO DEVOTED PARENTS:
Tributes have been paid to ‘two utterly devoted parents’ who were killed in a horror crash in Fenland.
Thehead-oncollisioninvolved a Ford Focus and an Iveco Daily van and took place on the A142 between Chatteris and Mepal just after 8pm on Thursday (September 3).
Emergency services attended but the man driving the Ford Focus, Robert Bateman, (known as Bob) (36) and his wife, Paula (35), who was one of the rear passengers, died at the scene.
The couple have now been named by police as Robert Bateman, 36 and known as Bob, and his wife Paula Bateman, 35, of Westfield Road, Manea.
The couple, , had t wo daughters, Lexi aged 10 and 18-month old Elizabeth, in thecar. It wasinitially thought that both girls, who were taken to hospital, suffered minor injuries.
However, further hospital checks revealed that Lexi suffered serious but not lifethreatening injuries. Both girls have since been discharged from hospital.
In a statement, Robert and Paula’s family said: “Weareutterly devastated by this news. Bob and Paula were muchloved friends to manyandwill be missed by everyone who knew them.
“They were also utterly devoted parents. Bob was a much-loved son and father, while Paula wasamuch-loved
daughter, sister and mother.”
Luke Norton, 31, of Nocton Park Road, Nocton, Lincoln, has been charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He was charged with the offences late on Friday night (September 4) and appeared
at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court the following day.
Norton did not enter pleas to the three charges and was remanded in custody until his next hearing, scheduled to take place at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday, October 2.
He did not suffer serious injuries in the crash.