'Finally my boys can rest at peace' says mum as killer driver jailed
The heartbroken mother of a toddler killed alongside his dad by a drug driver says they can "finally rest in peace" as justice was served.
John Woodcock and two-year-old son Lewis died after the car they were in was hit by speeding James Gibson, sending it flying.
Gibson, 31, had been driving on the wrong side of the road after drinking and taking cannabis, and had also burned red lights and undertaken other drivers when he hit Mr Woodcock's car on a road near Pleasley, Nottinghamshire.
The dad and son had been driving home from visiting family when Gibson smashed into them on the evening of January 15 last year while driving at speeds of up to 82mph in a 30 zone.
Emergency services rushed to the scene while members of the public also tried to save them, but tragically both succumbed to their injuries.
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A judge jailed Gibson for 12 years on Monday after admitting two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, as Mr Woodcock's bereft wife Caroline paid tribute to them both.
John Woodcock, 44, and his two-year-old son, Lewis. (Nottinghamshire Police / SWNS)Lewis, known to family as Louie was described as a "little ray of light" by loved ones in a heartbreaking tribute which also described Mr Woodcock, known as Dan, as openhearted and having a "belly-aching" sense of humour.
Ms Woodcock, speaking after the sentence, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to finally say thank you to everyone who has been there for me over this past year.
“I would also like to say special thanks to the people who tried to help Louie and Dan on the night of this tragic accident, the innocent bystander, police, ambulance crew, doctors, and nurses at both Kingsmill Hospital and Queens Medical Centre.
“I know we didn’t get the outcome we had hoped for, but I know all these people tried their very best to help my boys.
“The two amazing ambulance staff who were there for me whilst we waited, I will never forget you and everything you did for me.
“Now we have finally had the sentencing and this part is over, finally my boys can rest at peace and I and the family can try to build some sort of life where we try to come to terms with this horrific loss.”
In a poem written by a family friend which was shared by Nottinghamshire Police, touching words described Louie as an "unfinished original symphony", saying "we cannot, after all, judge a biography by its length, by the numbers of pages in it".
The poem read: “My little ray of light, We would play all day / Fill the house with our dreams and our stories like volcanic lava our house filled with imagination and joy.
“We didn’t have time for the washing, or the cleaning, or making the dinner, caused we danced, boy did we dance and we span / And now, now my little Louie is a star".
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Gibson was jailed for 12 years (PA)Gibson was jailed for 12 years and banned from driving for 18 years at Nottingham Crown court on Monday.
The court heard how Gibson, of Mansfield Woodhouse, Notts, had also suffered multiple broken bones in the crash and had to be cut free from his car, before later telling police he had no memory of what happened.
Investigator Louise Melbourne from Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “James Gibson’s driving and actions on this day took a well-loved husband, son, brother, friend, and adored grandchild from their family and friends.
“No family should ever have to go through what their family has and still goes through daily. And that suffering was completely avoidable."
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