‘I just want to hug my son again’: Despair of mum left paralysed by teen who filmed himself driving with no hands

30 November 2024, 12:30 | Updated: 30 November 2024, 14:20

A woman who was left paralysed after a 19-year-old crashed into her stationary car has said she just wants to be able to hug her son again.

The driver of the car, George Taylor, had held his licence for less than 12 weeks and was given a jail sentence of just two years and two months for his reckless driving.

Catherine Davies, 52, "will never breathe for herself" after he collided with her Skoda Fabia while recording himself overtaking other drivers as he drove with his knees on January 18 last year.

The mother was paralysed from the neck down - leaving her unable to eat, speak or even hug her young son - after the teenager crashed into her while attempting to film himself driving with no hands.

She said his punishment was "insulting".

The 19-year-old from Stretham, Cambridgeshire, used his phone "throughout the journey" and recorded five videos in total, which revealed how he was driving his Volkswagen Golf at high speed using only his knees to steer the vehicle.

The defendant had also made two phone calls and sent a text messages whilst behind the wheel prior to the crash at around 11am on the day in question.

Catherine now requires around-the-clock care and cannot speak or breathe independently.

The mother-of-one and former fitness instructor told Mail Online: "He took my whole life away and left me in a living nightmare.

"I understand he may only have to serve half the sentence, so will be free in a year's time to get on with his life, whereas I have been imprisoned for life."

She added that she feels "indescribable anger" to the man who took everything from her.

She said: "There is very little pleasure left in my life now. I really miss the tactile side of being a mum and this destroys me.

"Understanding the nature of my injuries was absolutely terrifying. I cannot describe the fear. It was all-consuming.

"I was overwhelmed by extreme anxiety, consumed by what I'd lost and what was facing me. It was like mourning your own death."

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Before the accident, Catherine recalls she was happier than she'd ever been.

After studying hotel management in Norwich, she'd worked in fashion, including a stint as a manager at Harrods and Jigsaw in London.

She then worked for P&O Cruises, on ships around the Mediterranean and Caribbean, later qualifying as a fitness instructor.

In addition to running her own bootcamp fitness classes, she worked as an estate planning consultant.

She said: "I was one of the top performers among my peers. I was working towards being promoted to a senior consultant.

"I loved my job and saw myself working there until retirement. I was an early riser, as my days were so full, working full-time and running evening fitness classes as well as looking after my son for half the week.

"I've always been an energetic and sociable person. I always wanted to be a mum and get great joy from it.

"My son is the most important person to me in the world. When [he] was with me, my time was focused on him, supporting with schoolwork and, in his free time, doing activities with him which were usually outside.

"We would go on walks, visit the beach and meet up with friends who had children of a similar age. My life was wonderful and going in the right direction."

Now, her main focus is her son, whom she longs to see more of.

"He does visit me, but [this] is dependent on when his father has the time to bring him, which is far from as often as I would like to see him."

"I don't feel I see him enough and this is very upsetting for me. When we are together, it is usually only for a few hours, and we spend that time catching up about what he's doing at school and in his free time.

"We lie on my bed together and watch films, which gives me great comfort to have him near me.

"Though she cannot hold him tight or easily tell him herself, Catherine is immensely proud of how well her son has dealt with her ordeal."

She adds: "He is amazing. He always seems happy and cheerful and perfectly comfortable around me and all my equipment.

"I just wish I could see him more often and have him living with me. I am desperate to be his mum again."

"I know it does not bear much in the situation and I know it won't change anything.

"I wish I had never got a licence and had never got a car. I cannot say anything more than sorry."

In a statement released via the force, Catherine's family said she "has always been such a gregarious person with a great sense of humour and so full of life".

They added: "I'll never forget that day when we were told she had been in an accident and then arriving at the hospital to be facing the reality that we may lose her."

To hear that my only daughter may not survive was heartbreaking and, as her dad, all I wanted to do was make everything better for her."

Police revealed that Taylor, a father-to-be who is expecting his first child in February, had held his licence for less than 12 weeks at the time of the accident.

At around 11am, he crashed into the back of a Ms Davies' vehicle, as she waited to turn right on the A47 at East Tuddenham, near Norwich.

In a victim impact statement, Catherine's father revealed she had been dating a new partner at the time of the accident, with the pair looking to buy a house together.

He added: "She will never breathe for herself again. She will never taste food again. She will never be able to hug her son again."

Taylor stood alone in the court after failing to qualify for representation via legal aid .

Asked whether he'd like to say anything to the family, he said: "I would like to apologise."

Taylor was sentenced to two years and two months in prison at Norwich Crown Court on Monday.

The teenager was also banned from driving for 40 months and told he must take an extended driving test before he can drive again.

Sergeant Callum Walchester said that Taylor "didn't set out... intending to cause unimaginable injuries to another person but sadly that is exactly what he did".

He added: "George Taylor made multiple decisions to use his mobile phone that day and in doing so put himself and everyone else at significant risk.

"It was Catherine who has paid the price."