A grieving mother has spoken of her “worst nightmare” after the driver who killed her seven-year-old son was jailed. Jack Rooke died after he was struck by a BMW X4 in Golcar, Huddersfield, on August 30, 2023.
Nathan Shaw, 35, of Tudor Street in Huddersfield, was sentenced to 42 months in prison on Thursday at Leeds Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to causing Jack’s death while driving without insurance and two charges of perverting the course of justice. He was also disqualified from driving for 57 months.
Mother’s heartbreak in victim impact statement
In a victim impact statement, Jack’s mother said every day is a struggle without her “beautiful and loving” boy, and that her life has been wrecked by his death. She also described the impact Jack’s loss had on his sisters, including Mya, who had lost her best friend.
She said: “I can’t accept that Jack has gone and I never will. I replay his funeral, me having to carry my little boy in a coffin. Looking at him in the chapel of rest wanting and wishing him to open his eyes.
“Travelling in the ambulance with Jack, seeing the paramedics trying to save his life, then been told that he had gone, is a parent’s worst nightmare that on one should have to go through. Leaving the hospital without them having to tell your other children.
“How will I navigate that and deal with it for the rest of my life? However, I have to for the sake of my other children, but it is hard. It’s hard to parent when you have been killed inside, I will never be who I used to be.”
Collision and investigation
Emergency services were called to Longfield Avenue in Golcar at about 6pm on August 30 after the BMW X4 driven by Shaw hit Jack. Jack received emergency treatment but died a short time later.
Shaw was arrested at the scene and later charged following an investigation by the Major Collision Enquiry Team (MCET). Detective Sergeant Nina Roper of MCET, who led the investigation, said: “The death of Jack has been an absolute tragedy for his family as his mother’s victim family statement so movingly illustrates.
“The loss of such a loving and happy boy at such a young age has clearly been absolutely devastating, and the scale of their loss is hard for many of us to comprehend. Our thoughts continue to remain with them following the sentencing of Nathan Shaw today.”
