‘Every road user has a right to get home’- parents pay tribute to Amy following court case

A grieving family say the tide of help and compassion from the community is comforting them as a man was jailed last week for the death of their 20-year-old daughter.

Following the death of Amy Cooper, her mum Mandy has also reiterated her call for road users to be more sympathetic to each other.

It comes after Shane Kelk (28) was jailed last Friday for eight years and three months for a string of driving offences including death by dangerous driving.

The maximum sentence for the offence is 14 years.

Amy was riding her treasured Kawasaki to her Whaplode Drove home after a weekly Dungeons and Dragons game she played alongside partner Dean at a friend’s Holbeach home.

She’d left earlier than usual due to the fog but was hit by Kelk attempting an overtake on the B1168 New River Gate at Holbeach St Johns.

He was disqualified from driving and out of prison on licence following a jail sentence of six years and nine months’ imprisonment passed in 2017 for his involvement at an armed incident in Long Sutton, Lincoln Crown Court heard last week as he was sentenced.

He fled the scene with help from others and was finally found attempting to scale a wall in Peterborough.

Mandy said the family did not want to comment on the sentence.

“Whatever length it is, it won’t give us what we want and that is our beautiful girl back,” she said. “It is a relief to be able to put the court case behind us so we can try and start to rebuild our lives.

“Amy was such a dynamic personality her loss has left a huge hole in our hearts, but somehow we have to focus on all the wonderful memories of happy times with her and use them to help us move forward.

“I really hope that her tragic death at such a young age will make drivers pause and consider what the results of impatience can be.

“Every road user, whether they be driver, motorcyclist, cyclist, horse rider or pedestrian, has a right to get home safely.

“I don’t want other families to suffer the devastation ours has and would urge drivers to be more aware of vulnerable road users.”

Amy had been riding for three years and her love of riding came from her dad, Alf.

“Amy was my best friend,” he said. “We cooked together, we quizzed together, we planned together motorcycle tours. Mine was to see the midnight sun, Amy’s was to go around the Med.

“I believe justice, to the best of its ability, was served.

“Congratulations to the whole police and justice support team that made this happen for Amy and all her family and friends. I am okay with the outcome.

“I could spend the rest of my life hating the person that killed my daughter – or I could spend it happily remembering my Amy.

“I don’t have that many years left – so I’ve chosen to live the rest of my life happily remembering my time with a very special young woman.

“I miss you immensely, I will never forget you, and I thank you for the memories that we shared.”

Mandy said the support of the community and numerous services had provided comfort during such a difficult period.

“I would like to say thank you for the countless messages of support we have received, they are helping us through this horribly stressful time,” she said. “My family and I would also like to thank the emergency services and Peterborough District Hospital staff for everything they did to try and save Amy’s life. We know they did their utmost.

“We would also like to thank the police for their exhaustive investigation resulting in justice being achieved for Amy.

“Thank you too to the members of the public who helped Amy at the scene. It must have been a traumatic experience for them but we are so grateful that they made sure she was comforted and not left alone.”