Mum’s haunting final words that will live with her daughter for the ‘rest of her life’

A grieving woman has revealed her mum’s final words before she died that will live with her “for the rest of my life”. Michelle Atherton had been passenger in a Ford Fiesta which smashed into a bin lorry in a head-on crash[1], in St Helens, Merseyside, on July 5 last year. Her boyfriend, Kevin Marsh, had drank gin and snorted cocaine before he crashed[2], killing the 47-year-old.

Following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Marsh, 43, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and sentenced to 16 years. Michelle’s daughter Alisha Atherton read an impact statement during his sentencing. She said that her mum had been ‘asking for her’ in the final moments of her life when Marsh left her to die.

Addressing the court, she said: “I later found out she had been asking for me at the scene of the incident and I wasn’t there for her. This will live with me for the rest of my life.” At that moment, Marsh, who was sat with his head bowed, appeared to wipe away tears, reports the Liverpool Echo.[3] Alisha added: “The fact that at my mum’s tragic end, she called for me and I wasn’t there for her.

When she needed me most, I wasn’t there.” As her statement continued, she said: “I have had to carry my mum’s coffin because the man she trusted and cared about took her from us. He took her away from four children and six grandchildren.”

Kevin Marsh was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and sentenced to 16 years (Merseyside Police / SWNS)

“This is not over. This is just the beginning.

I’m left with a massive hole that just cannot be filled. Now surviving and existing is the best I can hope for. We can try to continue with our lives and look up to the sky and make her proud.”

While passing sentence, Judge Aubrey said that not only did Marsh leave the scene after the crash but he “sought to blame” her by stating that she had tried to grab the wheel. The judge said: “There is no sentence I can pass that will begin to equate for the loss of life and suffering sustained by the family and all those who loved Michelle Atherton. There is nothing the court can do or say that will reduce the suffering spoken of in the poignant victim personal statements this court has received.

“You deliberately decided to ignore the rules of the road and disregard the risk of danger to others. That which you did, steering the car into the other lane, was obviously a highly dangerous manoeuvre. Your driving was also highly impaired by the consumption of alcohol and drugs and your speed was significantly in excess of the speed limit.

The scene of the fatal head-on crash, in St Helens, Merseyside, on July 5 last year (Liverpool Echo)

“You were driving whilst uninsured.

You do have a previous conviction for driving over the prescribed limit, but I recognise that was a long time ago. You failed to stop in the sense that you left the scene in the knowledge your girlfriend was seriously injured, if not dying.” “You sought to blame the deceased by stating that she had contributed to her own death by taking hold of the steering wheel, which could only have exacerbated the grief held by her family.

All those factors require an increase from the starting point.”

References

1. ^ head-on crash (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^ had drank gin and snorted cocaine before he crashed (www.mirror.co.uk)
3. ^ the Liverpool Echo. (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)