A GRIEVING dad has spoken of his beloved daughter as he awaits pre-sentence reports on the Evesham man who has pleaded guilty to causing her death by careless driving.
21-year-old Emma Flatley died after the moped she was riding was hit from behind by a car driven by Ryan Ireland, 23, of St Catherine’s Road, Evesham, as she travelled along the A46 dual carriageway towards Bidford on Avon on October 28 last year.
Emma’s father Vincent said the family were ‘hoping against hope’ that Ireland would receive a custodial sentence for taking their daughter from them.
“A community order to us would be nothing but an insult to us because the evidence clearly stated that he did not brake before hitting Emma, he just careered straight into the back of her.
“A custodial sentence won’t bring her back and we have to live with that for the rest of our lives, but it would be a recognition of what he did.”
Emma, a former pupil of Trinity High School was a popular youth centre worker who worked with young people in Redditch and Evesham as well as helping students with learning difficulties in Kidderminster.
“She just seemed to have a knack of working with young people and I know that as well as us she is missed by all those she helped,” said Mr Flatley.
In fact Emma had made such an impact in her working life that she was awarded a posthumous Pride of Redditch award for all her contribution to helping young people.
Now after nine months of waiting, caused by Ireland repeatedly pleading not guilty to the charge, said Mr Flatley, closure of a sort is within reach for the Redditch family.
“It has been a long time and if he had done the right thing in the first place by pleading guilty when he was first questioned it would not have dragged on so long,” said Mr Flatley.
“When he was first interviewed and again a month later he stuck to his original story that Emma was criss-crossing the road. The case then went off for reports and when he appeared in court a month ago he still pleaded not guilty but then he changed his plea.
“It’s been very traumatic for us as a family, and this has been a long time coming.”
Mr Flatley said the family had asked for an adjournment in the case as, not expecting a change of plea, they’d been away at a family function in North Wales.
They want to be in court when the judge, Recorder Adrian Redgrave QC, pronounces sentence on Ireland.
This is now expected to take place on Friday, July 29.
