The heartbroken mother of a Marlow teenager who died on holiday in Greece says she is “relieved” to finally have some justice after the drunk driver who killed her son almost three years ago was found guilty at last.

Eighteen-year-old James Fifield was on holiday with seven of his friends in Zante, celebrating the end of his A-Levels, when he was killed by a drunk driver on July 5, 2014.

The former Wye Valley School pupil was travelling back to his hotel on a hired quad bike when a man who lived on the island crashed into him from behind.

Nearly three years after her son died, Claire Fifield-Moore travelled back to Greece for the third time on May 16 as a trial for the killer finally went ahead after delays due to a lawyer strike.

After years of battling to find out details of the crash – which saw Prime Minister David Cameron intervene and demand the family receive vital information about his death in October 2014 - James’ mum was finally able to see the man who killed her son found guilty of negligent manslaughter.

He received a 21-month suspended sentence and lost his driving license for two months.

Speaking after returning from Greece, an emotional Claire said: “It was horrific. We had an awful lot of trouble trying to get all the information out of the Greek authorities. The gentleman involved blamed James the whole way through but we managed to get a guilty verdict.

“To us, the punishment does not seem to fit the crime, but guilty is guilty. Whether he had been sentenced to a litter pick or death, it doesn’t change anything because it won’t bring James back. But at long last, he is accountable for what he has done.

“I am relieved, it doesn’t change anything but for us, it draws a line under that particular part of things and gives us a little bit of closure. It is a little bit of justice for James at last.”

Despite being found guilty, James’ killer appealed his conviction straight away – meaning the teenager’s distraught family will likely have to return to Greece in the future. 

Speaking about her son, who lived in Marlow at the time of his death, a tearful Claire said: “James is such a huge part of our lives and he always will be. This has been really tough but we have had so many supportive comments.

“It has been so hard, but I want to make people aware of this so we can keep our kids that little bit safer.”