A grieving mother has been handed a glimmer of hope in a letter from the county’s crime chief - and sparked a legal row.
Linda Hawker has campaigned for justice since the death of her son Daniel Atkinson in a high speed car crash nine years ago.
Daniel and fellow passenger Jade Rice, both 17, were killed instantly when the car in which they were travelling careered into a lamppost in Bradley Road in 2006.
It was driven by live-in carer Mohammed Tanwir. The vehicle’s speed was not established at the time of the court case against the driver, which failed.
However, it was later established that it was travelling in excess of 80mph in a 40mph zone. No other vehicles were involved.
Linda, who now lives in Wakefield, believes the Crown Prosecution Service made “a catalogue of errors,” which resulted in the lack of a successful prosecution. An appeal based on the speed of the vehicle was rejected in 2010.
Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire Mark Burns-Williamson asked for a review into the investigation and has written to Linda with the results, which the county’s Chief Crown Prosecutor disagrees with.
His letter said: “It has highlighted a number of ways in which West Yorkshire Police has changed its organisation and procedures since the tragic deaths of Daniel and Jade.”
The letter also acknowledged: “The inability to assess the speed of the vehicle at the time of the collision, due to technology available to police forces at the time. This was the crucial piece of evidence which would have strengthened the prosecution case.”
Crucially, the letter admits that the original court case against Mr Tanwir was fast tracked, which meant that lab tests were not ready in time for the original court case.
This is denied by Martin Goldman, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Yorkshire and Humberside. Speaking this week, he said: “We didn’t fast track it.
“We did all we could and we gave it the best chance of success. We can’t re-open the case and I am afraid the comments in the letter are incorrect.”
He added that he and the Police and Crime Commissioner “agree to disagree.”
However, Linda is spurred on and has been advised to present Mr Burns-Williamson’s letter to the Attorney General.
She said: “This nine-year fight has been hell for me and my family.
“We know that the police went wrong and want them to admit they made a mistake.
“This letter says where they went wrong in the case; a lot of mistakes were made. I want the CPS to take another look and re-open the case.
“I do feel there is a bit of hope, but the barrister who was working pro bono on the case has left the firm and I need somebody to work with me.”
Linda’s MP Mary Creagh is helping her continue the fight.
