A MUM made a tragic final phonecall to her daughter before she died in a horror crash caused by her evil boyfriend.
Michelle Atherton, 47, was a passenger in Kevin Marsh’s car when he slammed head-on into a bin lorry after downing gin.
FAMILY HANDOUT/UNPIXSMichelle Atherton was killed in the horror crash[/caption]
The callous drug 43-year-old, who had also taken cocaine, then got out of the vehicle and left his girlfriend to die.
As he was sentenced to 16 years in jail, Michelle’s daughter Alisha Atherton read a heartbreaking victim impact statement.
She said her mum was “asking for her” in her final moments as she lay dying in the car.
Alisha added: “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.
“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.”
Alisha also told how she had to carry her mum’s coffin after “the man she trusted and cared about took her” from her four children and six grandchildren.
She added: “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.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard how Marsh was speeding in his Ford Fiesta towards St Helens on July 5 last year.
The drug-driver veered onto the wrong side of the road and lost control before smashing into the bin lorry.
Michelle was sadly declared dead from her injuries shortly after.
Marsh was eventually arrested but callously claimed his partner had tried to grab the wheel and caused the crash.
He continued his web of lies by denying he was blame – forcing Michelle’s family to sit through a trial.
As well as a jail term, Marsh was banned from driving for 18 years after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.
Sentencing, Judge Aubrey KC 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.
“You deliberately decided to ignore the rules of the road and disregard the risk of danger to others.
“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.”
MERSEYSIDE POLICE/UNPIXSKevin Marsh has been jailed for 16 years[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
