‘No sentence would ever be enough for us – we will never get Kade back’

The parents of 19-year-old Kade Bougourd and his extended family carried his ashes as they went into the Royal Court where Anthony Hamon was jailed for five years for causing his death by dangerous driving. The court heard he was driving at speeds of between 64 and 77mph at the time of the crash. Kade was a back seat passenger in the car.

‘This is about Kade and we felt that he should be here, if not in body,’ said the teenager’s mother Lisa Bougourd at the conclusion of the case.

‘No sentence would ever be enough for us, as we will never get Kade back.’

She explained why the family had declined to accept a letter of apology from Hamon.

‘It was written a week before this hearing and the police made us aware of it two days ago. It was done for the benefit of the court and not us. It could have been written more than 400 days ago and it’s too little, too late.’

In a victim impact statement that was read to the court, Mrs Bougourd said it was hard for people to know how the family – Kade had five brothers and two sisters – were feeling unless they had experienced something like it themselves.

Mrs Bougourd said she had recently been suffering nightmares and flashbacks of the night that the police came to their door. The family felt ‘incomplete’ without him, she said.

Although they said they felt sorry for Hamon’s family in some ways, having to live with their son’s actions, they were sceptical about how genuine his remorse actually was.

The jurats were asked to read a poem that was read at Kade’s funeral and were shown a photograph of him (above right).

Mrs Bougourd said they felt they would now be able to scatter their son’s ashes following the verdict.

They thanked the emergency services for all they had done, along with family and friends for their help and support.

Acting Chief Inspector Tom Marshall said this tragic incident provided a sobering reminder that when driving, people were taking control of what can potentially become a lethal weapon.

‘It really is as simple as this – driving at dangerous speeds can kill someone,’ he said.

‘Driving when not paying attention can kill someone. Driving under the influence can kill someone.

'Not only does someone who kills another while driving have to face the legal consequences, they also have to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives.’

He extended the police’s sympathies to the family, saying Kade ‘lost his life in the most tragic and totally preventable set of circumstances’.

Report from court, page 5