Dyserth family take drink driving campaign to Parliament

Dec 23 2008 By Justine Bailey

DAYS before the first Christmas without their daughter, a Dyserth couple took their campaign to combat drink driving to Parliament.

Fun-loving waitress Amanda Coulton died in a head-on crash on the A547 Abergele Road, Rhuddlan, last January.

The car in which she was a passenger was struck by 28-year-old Daniel Storey as he attempted to overtake.

Two weeks ago devastated parents Angela and Derek met Justice Minister Maria Eagle to call for laws on driving offences to be toughened up.

In a personal plea they explained how their 20-year-old daughter’s life was snatched away by a man who had twice been caught driving while disqualified and once for driving with excess alcohol.

Mrs Coulton said: "In the eyes of the law Storey has committed a traffic offence but in my eyes it is murder. We think the law should be changed.

"He has been committing offences for years but was not jailed. The point we were making was that the State should pick up on these individuals.

"I feel so low, I can’t get any lower, but I feel better when I am doing something. He has taken away so much. My son Daniel is an only child now. He has been changed 100% by this and is struggling to come to terms with it. I’m petrified to let him out of my sight in case something happens to him.

Amanda, who had told friends shortly before the crash that her life was perfect, had been a passenger in a car when it was struck by a car driven by Storey, 28, from Rhuddlan. He was two-and-a-half times over the drink drive limit when he overtook a car and smashed into the Peugeot 206.

His sentence was reduced to eight years after pleading guilty to causing Amanda’s death.

Mr and Mrs Coulton, who lost another daughter Claire to cot death syndrome two decades ago when she was just five weeks old, have been involved in a North Wales drink drive Christmas campaign and hope that drivers take heed of their plight.

"If I can stop one family from going through what we have been through then I’ll keep doing what I can," Mr Coulton said.

After the meeting, set up by Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane, Ms Eagle told the couple she would write to them about the points they raised.

Mr Ruane said: "It was a good meeting. We got the point across that Storey had previous convictions but had never been jailed."