12 CAMBRIDGE NEWS
uk
News
‘Everything froze – my life
STEPHEN WIDDOWSON WAS JAILED FOR
16 MONTHS ON FRIDAY FOR CAUSING
THE DEATHS OF TWO FRIENDS. THEIR
FAMILIES’ IMPACT STATEMENTS REVEAL
THE EXTENT OF THE HEARTBREAK THEY
HAVE SUFFERED
A MAN killed when his van
was crushed by a car trans-
porter on the A14 had just
decided to try for another
baby before he died.
Jason Louis, 31, was killed
instantly along with his col-
league Daniel Marshall, 37,
when Stephen Widdowson
crashed into the Ford Transit
van he was in and pushed it
into a tipper truck on April 20,
2016.
His wife Louise spoke about
the devastating results of his
death on the entire family,
especially their son Dean,
who has autism.
The couple, who had been
together since Louise was 17,
had just decided to try for
another baby as Dean’s
autism was under control.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2017
But Louise says her son’s
autism has worsened again
after losing his dad, “the one
person he had ever truly
bonded with” died.
This is her victim impact
statement she read out in
court:
CCN-EO1-S2
“I first met Jason at the end
of 2003, just a few days after
my 17th birthday.
“Jason was in the army when
we first met and would drive
two hours every Friday to
spend the weekends with me.
“We got married in summer
of 2004 and I moved to where
he was based to start our life
together.
“Three years later our son
Dean was born and Jason was
the happiest I’ve ever seen
him, ever since I first met him
all he’d wanted was to be a
dad. He was doing really well
at work but as a result was
away a lot.
“He wanted to be able to do
things like put Dean to bed
every night, take him to his
first day of school, teach him to ride a bike, to be there for
birthdays and Christmas.
“He didn’t want to be away
for weeks and months at a
time anymore; he wanted to
be there for Dean and decided
the best way for him to be able
to be around was to leave the
army.
“We moved back to London
to be close to my family for
support and Jason took his first
job with Kelly’s [a telecom-
munications contractor].
“Just before Dean started
school, we started to notice
the first signs of his autism,
and we decided to move out of
London and to Peterborough
to help his developement.
“Dean’s autism means that
he struggles with social inter-
actions and finds it hard to
bond with people.
“Jason was the first person
Dean really bonded with and
he was a huge support to me
throughout the diagnosis pro-
cess, which took years.
“After Dean was diagnosed
we were able to get the extra
Families united in their grief
THE devastated families of
the two men who were killed
rely on each other to get
through their grief.
The ‘tragic crash’ left both
families feeling hopeless and
distraught but Louise Louis,
Jason’s wife, and Rebecca
Marshall, Daniel’s sister, say
they still meet regularly
because “no one else can
understand” the pain they go
through.
Speaking outside court,
Daniel’s sister Rebecca said:
“It’s been a hard, draining 18
months for all of us involved,
help and support he needed
and he started to make huge
progress.
“I was able to work part-
time and Jason had moved to
a different department at
work, which meant we had
much more time together as a
family.
“This gave us time for days
out, weekends away and hol-
idays. Life was going really
well and we decided we were
happy living in Peterborough,
so we started to save to buy a
house.
“With these plans in place
and Dean making so much
progress we also felt it was the
right time to start trying for
another baby. We were also
planning to renew our vows.
“All that changed on April
20 when I got a knock on the
door.
“Nothing could have pre-
pared me for how I felt that
night. When Jason was in the
army and went away I would
always worry that I would get
that knock on the door but I
today was especially hard
because it was the first time
we were hearing most of this
evidence.
“We’ve been kept in the
dark, pretty much for the
whole time. Today was just a
long, long day and for me it
was one of the hardest days.”
In keeping their memories
alive the families have
bonded and regularly meet
up to offer each other
emotional support.
Louise said: “It’s hard, it’s
still so raw, it’s still hard to
talk about them. We do
cambridge-news.co.
Louise Louis lost her
husband Jason, above, in
the crash which also
claimed the life of Rebecca
Marshall’s brother Daniel
never expected it to happen
once he left.
“When the police came I
never expected them to tell
me he had been killed.
“Everything just froze. In
just those few seconds my
whole life was destroyed. I felt
sick and numb; the pain I felt
at the moment was indescrib-
able, and has never ever gone
away.
“We had to go to the hos-
pital to give a formal ID, and
we had no choice but to drive
on the A14 to get there. It was
probably the hardest journey
I’ve ever been on.
“A part of me kept hoping
the whole time that this was
all one big mistake. Once I
walked into that room any
hope was gone, and my heart
was broken. The hurt and
pain was so much I felt like I
couldn’t breathe. Every time I
close my eyes now I will
always see him laying there.
“Walking away was really
hard. I didn’t just lose my
husband that day; I lost a part
everything we can to keep
their memories alive.
“They are included in
everything we do and they
will always be a part of us.”
Rebecca added: “We all get
together for coffee and chat
about them and just talk to
each other to offer emotional
support, because no-one else
will ever understand what
we’re going through.”
Louise, added: “Apart from
us because we’ve been
through it together.”
She said it had also been
one of the hardest days for
cambridge-news.co.uk
was destroyed
of me and I lost the future we
had planned. Nothing will
ever be the same.
“After the formal ID we
went back to my mum’s to
pick up Dean. I still had to tell
him what had happened.
How do you tell a nine-year-
old that their dad, one of the
only people they have bonded
with, is never coming home?
“It was the hardest conver-
sation I’ve ever had. My heart
was broken and now I had to
do the same to my child. Dean
struggles with his emotions
due to his autism, and this
was just impossible for any-
one to deal with.
“After the last 48 hours I
didn’t think it would be pos-
sible to feel any worse than I
did, but seeing Dean’s face
and watching him cry was
awful.
“I didn’t sleep for weeks and
even now I still struggle to
sleep properly.
“The worst part of finally
sleeping is waking up because
for a few seconds I forget what
as ‘no-one else understands’
her after she and Rebecca
both read out their victim
impact statements in court.
Louise said: “I’m glad I did
it though, because I think it
managed to get across how
we’re feeling and how these
last 18 months have actually
affected us.”
Rebecca added that it also
showed the “true devastation
that had been caused to both
our families”.
She said: “It took every
ounce of energy I had to just
stand there and read that
out.”
has happened, and then it hits
me all over again.
“Jason was an incredible
person. He was kind, caring,
brave, ambitious, deter-
mined, and of course he was a
fantastic husband and dad.
He was a real family man. He
always put us first. He would
sometimes work six-day
weeks, up to 14 hours a day, to
provide for us and so I could
spend the most amount of
time at home caring for
Dean.
“Without him its so much
harder to keep everything
together. He was my best
friend, we did everything
together. All of our decisions
were made together, ever
since we were teenagers.
“I’ve never had to make
decisions alone before, and
now out of nowhere I’m hav-
ing to make some of the hard-
est decisions that have to be
made as an adult on my
own.
“It just adds to my feeling of
loneliness and loss so much
Both women said they
hoped that hearing them talk
of the tragic and devastating
consequences of
Widdowson’s actions would
have more of an impact than
him just reading the
statements.
Both Louise and Rebecca
said they felt the sentence,
delivered by Judge David
Farrell, was fair.
The families also praised
police for being “fantastic
throughout”.
Louise and Jason’s son,
Dean, who has autism has
CCN-EO1-S2
more. Throughout this whole
thing, as much as I have to say
‘I can’t cope with this, I’m not
ready for this right now, I
don’t want this to be hap-
pening and I don’t want to be
alone‘, there was no choice
for me. I had to make these
decisions.
“Every time I feel so alone
and I realise just how hard it
has been and is going to be
without Jason to support me. I
know have to be responsible
for me and Dean, not just
emotionally but financially as
well.
“I don’t think the pain will
ever go away.
“It’s not just me and Dean
that have been affected by
Jason’s death. His mum, nan,
brothers and friends have all
been affected too. His mum
has really struggled emotion-
ally and has been in hospital
twice due to stress and
depression.
I still cannot drive on that
section of road; I don’t think I
ever will.”
found the death of his dad
particularly difficult and has
become quieter and more
worried since the crash.
Louise said: “He struggles,
it’s hard. Him and his dad,
they were so close. Jason was
the one person Dean was
closest to, the, one person he
really, really trusted.
“For him to just suddenly
not be there anymore, is
devastating.
“Now he has that worry
that every time I leave or I go
to work am I not going to
come home.”
CAMBRIDGE NEWS MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2017 13
News
‘We will never recover’ says sister
BRAVE Rebecca Marshall
read out an emotional
victim impact statement at
the sentencing of Stephen
they have the strength to
even get out of bed in the
mornings, it breaks my
heart to see how much pain
parents hold their son, their
first child, my father’s only
son!
“Never again will my
Widdowson whose actions they are in and always will sister and I have
killed her brother Daniel be. conversations with our only
Marshall in a horrific crash. “I look at my sister who brother about our
Rebecca Marshall said the has been so devastated by childhood.
crash had been ‘cruel’ and Daniel’s death that she is “He will never see his
it had left the family feeling on antidepressants. niece and nephews grow up
guilt for the small moments “She fears for her own or play with the children he
of happiness they had children’s safety when on was longing for.
experienced since Daniel’s the road, and has panic “Daniel’s room remains
death. attacks when in a car or on almost completely
Miss Marshall said: “On busy roads. untouched, the pain of
Wednesday April 20, 2016 “How can one person’s entering it is almost too
our lives were devastated. actions totally destroy so much to bare, for all of us.
“Daniel James Marshall many people? “I want you to know how
our only brother, my “I sit at night and wonder much you have taken from
parents’ only son’s life was what Daniel would be doing us, every bit of joy or
cruelly taken. now, how his life would be happiness makes my
“How can one moment rip moving forward and I break mother feel guilty, even the
apart a family? down. slightest second, she can’t
“Daniel was just “People say that I am the help but feel so terribly
rebuilding his life, after strong one of the family, guilty for even smiling,
leaving the army after 12 and once I might have because for just that micro
years’ service, after a sad agreed with them, but not second she feels like she
and painful divorce, he was anymore, now I am so has let her son down.
just starting over and broken I cry myself to sleep “Every future moment is
looking forward to the almost every night and wish now tainted before it
future. that when I wake it will all happens, every birthday,
“He was robbed of that have been a dream. Christmas, family event,
future by your actions, by “Every day it hits me that ruined because all we will
your choices. Daniel is not here, and it be thinking is that Daniel
“Now we have to face a hurts a little more every should be here.
future without him. A future time. “Your actions on that day
full of grief and heartbreak. “We will no longer see his have taken from us
” I look at my parents, smile, hear his laugh. something so precious. and
and I often wonder how “Never again will my we will never recover.”
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