Jamie’s Last Day

Sunday 20 February 2011 started in a relaxed way for us. Jamie was still on a high after receiving a letter on Saturday from Manchester University accepting him on a Post Graduate course in human rights. We were so pleased for him and also so proud of him. On the Saturday night we had discussed his move to Manchester talking about accommodation and hiring a van to move his things. Little did we know how our world was about to be destroyed.

We had a lovely home cooked dinner together, something that we often did on a Sunday, how could we have known it would be our last meal together. At about 3 pm Jamie decided he would take a walk into town to visit a cash-point to withdraw some money for the coming week, this was something he had done several times before on a Sunday afternoon.

At about 5 pm Tina, Jamie’s mum tried to call him on his mobile worried that he had been gone longer than usual, no reply. Eventually his phone was answered by a stranger who didn’t speak and then hung up. Jamie’s sister, Hollie was also trying to phone him but again there was no reply. Convinced something was wrong Tina asked Jamie’s step dad Steve to go and look for him, while she stayed at home in case he showed up. Steve went to search for Jamie but found most of Wisbech town centre sealed off by the police, he stopped and asked a young police woman what was happening. The police woman said that somebody had been knocked down, took his details and told him to keep looking. Soon after Steve went home hoping that Jamie had returned, but he hadn’t. Both parents fearing something had happened to Jamie were preparing to go and look some more when a police Volvo turned up outside their house. It was at this moment that Jamie’s parents hearts sank, Steve pleaded with the policeman “tell me how bad it is” the policeman said “go inside and we will come and talk to you.” It was in the kitchen of the family home that the police asked “did Jamie have a tattoo on his chest ?” With Jamie’s identity confirmed it was their duty to tell the loving parents that there had been a collision and there had been a fatality.

A normal day, a normal loving family had been destroyed!

Tina somehow managed to compose herself just enough to telephone Jamie’s sister Hollie who was at her boyfriends house. Tina asked Hollie to come home as Jamie had been involved in an  accident, the conversation went something like:

What hospital is he in ?

No Hollie just come home.

Mum tell me what hospital is he in Ill go straight there.

No Hollie please just come straight home now.

Hollie wouldn’t come home so eventually Tina had to tell Hollie. . . . “he’s not in hospital . .  . he’s dead”.The only sound that came back from the phone was a scream.

The news had been delivered, the loving family destroyed because of the selfish reckless actions of one man.