BBC U-turn over Adam O'Toole hit-and-run TV appeal

Jun 3 2009 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TELEVISION bosses have finally caved into pressure to bring the tragic story of Adam O’Toole to a national audience.

BBC One’s Crimewatch Roadshow programme yesterday appealed for help to catch the Huddersfield teenager’s hit-and-run killer.

The show featured a reconstruction of the incident on New Hey Road in Salendine Nook on March 6, 2007.

Adam’s mum, Beverley, also gave an emotional plea for help.

But the appeal was only featured after a long campaign by friends and family of the 18-year-old student in Huddersfield.

The BBC had snubbed repeated requests since shortly after the incident, saying the programme was flooded with calls for help and could not feature all of them.

Petitions that were then set up to lobby programme chiefs collected more than 2,000 signatures.

Robert McGuin, who went to Huddersfield New College at the same time as Adam, wrote to Crimewatch to complain.

He said: “It’s fantastic that they finally agreed to do this.

“We have put a lot of effort into this campaign and it looked like they were never going to show the appeal. But in the end I think they bowed to the pressure.”

Beverley said: “I hope it helps. Everyone in Huddersfield has been so supportive, but I think they’ve done all they can.

“The car that man was driving is not in Huddersfield now, so it’s people further afield that need to know about it now.”

Adam, who lived with his mum at Woodhead Road, Holmbridge, died after he was hit by a blue Rover 200 car as he walked across the pedestrian crossing on New Hey Road near the college at about 10.30am.

The driver has never been traced.