Latest news with #MeganThomas
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Wales Online
'I felt like I was dying too' says daughter who arrived at crash scene to find mum had been killed
'I felt like I was dying too' says daughter who arrived at crash scene to find mum had been killed 'My mam simply went out for a run and when she didn't come home on time, I never thought that going out to look for her would result in me and Allan being met with police blocking the road' Megan Thomas with her mam Catherine Bradford (Image: Megan Thomas ) A young woman has described the earth-shattering moment she was told by police officers at a crime scene that her mam had been killed by a dangerous driver. Catherine Bradford, 52, was out jogging along High Street in Dowlais on September 19, 2022, when Alex Rickwood lost control of the MG ZR car he was uninsured to drive, mounted the pavement and hit her. Rickwood, of Wern Isaf in Dowlais, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday to five years and five months in prison having previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving with no insurance while using a fraudulent trade plate. The 32-year-old was also disqualified from driving for more than seven years. During the sentencing, five of Catherine's close family members bravely faced Rickwood in the dock to read out victim impact statements. They included her elderly mother, Jean Davies, who stood up and told the court how she still talks to photographs of her daughter every day. Catherine's children, Megan Thomas, 27, and Adam James, 34, were also among those who opened up about how their lives had been "destroyed". Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here Visibly upset, Megan told the court how she went out looking for her mam with her stepfather Allan after she failed to return home. Article continues below Megan was one of five family members who bravely shared impact statements to the court (Image: Megan Thomas ) Heartbreakingly, they came across the scene of the crash and were told by officers that a woman who fitted Catherine's description had been killed. Megan said: "The trauma I have had to endure is indescribable. September 19, 2022, was the worst day of my life. A day I still have to re-live. "My mam simply went out for a run and when she didn't come home on time, I never thought that going out to look for her would result in me and Allan being met with police blocking the road. "The blue flashing lights still haunt me to this day. 'I'm sorry but with the description you have given us, it does sound like Cath, and she has passed away'. "The sound that came out of me in that moment didn't feel real. I felt like I was dying too. There was nothing we could do. It was so final. So unfair. It shouldn't have been her. "My life will never be the same again. The future that I pictured for myself has been taken away with one selfish, unforgivable act. "My mam was my best friend, someone I went to for everything and anything. Who do I go to now? Who will be there to help me on my wedding day? "Who will be there if I decide to have my own children? Who will give me advice only a mother can give? That's all been ripped away from me." Megan said she was off work for months after her mam's life was taken (Image: Megan Thomas ) She went on to describe how she had struggled to rebuild her life after her mother's had been "stolen from her". She said: "Since this has happened, I constantly feel anxious or in a state of panic, as if something bad will happen again. "I was off work for months, living in limbo trying to put myself back together again whilst simultaneously planning a funeral. "No 25-year-old should have to plan their own mother's funeral." Paying tribute to Catherine, she said: "My mam was the best. The kindest, loveliest, selfless person you could ever meet. She would do anything for anyone. We all miss her. I miss her. "It physically hurts to think that we will never see her smile or hear her laugh ever again." Catherine's son, Adam, described how he was working away with the military when he discovered his mam had died. It came shortly after his final video call with her. He told the court: "Before I deployed on operations, I went through plans of my own that no mother should ever have to sit down and discuss with her child. We discussed the worst-case scenario of me not returning. It was heartbreaking to see her so upset but it was the reality of the job I chose to do. "I never thought or dreamed that it was my mother who would die first. When I last saw her, she was a healthy, young, fit woman and in the relative safety of the UK. I can clearly remember the last time I spoke to her. It was on September 19, 2022. "I was deployed overseas on operations and we chatted over a facetime call. Her face was very pixelated, but it is an image that I will never forget. "We spoke briefly about my last mission and we chatted about the usual things like weather being horrendously hot where I was. "The lads in my team were all thanking her for the parcels she and Allan had sent out to me. That was the type of person my mother this point, it felt like an age since I saw any of my family in person, as it was close to six months. "She talked to me about any and all things she had been up to over the past month, trying to squeeze as much information into such a short conversation as possible - from her job, training, events, family and general silly knew that it may be a while until we spoke again, so she finished the call with: 'Right, I'm going now I'm getting ready for a run, stop talking to me and ring Jayne (my partner) and the kids. I'll give you a text later with my run time.' "People these days take phone calls for granted...I wish I could take one of those calls from her now. I wish we could chat for hours about all those silly things we used to do. I'd give anything to hear her voice just one last time. "Later on, that very same day I received another phone call, this time from my cousin Richard. He sounded muffled and was muttering in a sobbing way...I immediately hung up and called my sister Megan, who by now was sobbing and she confirmed the information. My heart sunk as my legs gave way and I fell to the floor. "I cannot to this day describe the feeling that overcame me at that point, but it was horrendous, shaking, tears streaming down my face and my colleagues quickly stripping me of my weapon as a precaution, as they heard everything said." L-R: Adam, Catherine, Megan and Allan (Image: Megan Thomas ) He said he had since rendered himself as "medically non deployable" due to the toll of the tragedy on his mental state. Addressing Rickwood, he said: "I point blank refuse to grieve until I know that you, as the person who killed my mother, have been brought to justice and given what you rightly deserve. "I still, to this day, cannot come to understand why on a 30mph road next to residential properties in dry conditions, you felt the need to drive at such excessive speeds. "So much so that you lost control of the vehicle, went through a lamppost (taking it clean off out the ground). You struck my beautiful innocent mother and sent her through the air to die on the roadside. Article continues below "For me you used that car as a deadly weapon. In my eyes, you will never be able to justify your actions. You killed an innocent, charitable, totally selfless woman - my mother Catherine." Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here .
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sheriff's Office: Woman missing from Staunton
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office said a Staunton woman has been listed as missing, a press release said. The woman, 40-year-old Megan N. Thomas, has been missing since June 11. A family member reported her missing on June 22. Thomas is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, the release said. Her whereabouts are unknown. If anyone has any information about this missing person, contact the Augusta County Sheriff's Office at (540) 245-5333 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 322-2017. More: Train carrying hydrochloric acid derails in Dooms More: Shenandoah National Park moves to cashless fee collection starting July 1 Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@ You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Sheriff's Office: Woman missing from Staunton
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sheriff's Office: Woman missing from Staunton
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office said a Staunton woman has been listed as missing, a press release said. The woman, 40-year-old Megan N. Thomas, has been missing since June 11. A family member reported her missing on June 22. Thomas is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, the release said. Her whereabouts are unknown. If anyone has any information about this missing person, contact the Augusta County Sheriff's Office at (540) 245-5333 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 322-2017. More: Train carrying hydrochloric acid derails in Dooms More: Shenandoah National Park moves to cashless fee collection starting July 1 Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@ You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Sheriff's Office: Woman missing from Staunton
