Your Bucks
Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting bfp news to 80360 or email »
Charlie Harris' parents speak after driver's sentencing
2:36pm Saturday 5th April 2008
Comments (23)THE family of Charlie Harris have said they hope the five-year-old's death will act as a wake up call to drivers who speed.
Neil and Tracy Harris said they were relieved that teenager David Mear had pleaded guilty to causing the death of their son by dangerous driving.
Mear, 19, of Fremantle Road, High Wycombe, was sentenced to 14 months in prison yesterday afternoon at Aylesbury Crown Court.
In a statement, Mr and Mrs Harris said: "The sentencing yesterday of the driver however, does not lessen the pain the family are still feeling at the loss of our beloved little boy, and should the driver have not been speeding in excess of 47mph (calculated speed of impact after applying brakes), Charlie may still have been with us today.
"Charlie's death has impacted the lives of many people outside of his close family and we believe our bright happy little boy will never be forgotten.
"We all miss him greatly.
"We hope that Charlie's death will act as a wake up call to all drivers who speed within built up areas, especially around schools or where there are children on the roadside.
"The Great Kingshill Residents Association is working closely with Hughenden Parish Council to try and provide a safer route for pedestrians to walk along the stretch of Cockpit Road where the tragic accident occurred.
"Had a footpath been provided here we still feel the accident would not have happened."
The family thanked emergency services who attended the scene of the collision in Cockpit Road on September 21 last year, the staff at the John Radcliff Paediatrics unit who cared for Charlie, and police officers involved for their "continued support and compassion".
The also expressed gratitude to Beacon Funeral Services in Hazlemere. Donations collected by Beacon in memory of Charlie totalled nearly £6000.
The sum will be split between the Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Charlie's school at Great Kingshill, where his parent hope to create a permanent tribute to him for his friends to enjoy.
Mr and Mrs Harris added: "For those who knew Charlie, please remember him as the fun-loving and happy five-year-old who lived his short life to the full.
"We would like to thank everyone for their donations and condolences, and to others for their continued support."
Your Say YourBucks Free Press
faisal, sands says...
11:56am Sun 6 Apr 08
wayne, wycombe says...
8:01pm Sun 6 Apr 08
Unfortunately, like this poor lad, had there have been a path and the driver was concentrating, the crash would inlikely have happened,we do not know what the lad was wearing at the time of the crash either.
Putting speeds humps everywhere would not prevent road deaths as many patients in ambulances are painfully aware.
We need more Police on the roads to counter the bad driving we see at all speeds and better training with regards to observation etc.
The above is most sad however we still lose thousands more people from preventable hospital borne infections than on our roads.
wayne, wycombe says...
8:12pm Sun 6 Apr 08
Often, when one pleads guilty to such an offence (clearly some blame can be attributed to the driver) in order to limit the sentence,often, the truth is lost as a result of not having a trial.
For the most part, much of the actual cause of this crash,will likely never surface i'm afraid.
Franky, High Wycombe says...
9:09pm Sun 6 Apr 08
1. There are no mitigating circumstances for the driver involved, due to the fact that he was well over the speed limit. Had the child run out in front of him and he been driving within the speed limit, then there would have been mitigating circumstances. The fact that he was doing in excess of 50mph means that he forfeits any right to put forward mitigating circumstances. The poor lad never stood a chance. Within the speed limit and he's most likely still be here today.
2. The state of Mill End Road has absolutely nothing to do with the risk posed by speeding drivers to parents and children walking along the road, just a few feet from them. The state of the road and speeding are two totally different subjects all together. The road itself is actually not so bad that it in itself will cause accidents.
3. Yes we may lose more through preventable hospital born infections but does that mean that we shouldn't bother about speeding drivers that pose a substantial risk to pedestrians? Is it not possible to try and reduce the damage on both fronts or do we ignore one, simply because the other claims more lives???
4. Speed humps are meant as traffic calming measures. They are not all over the place and a local ambulance driver would know which roads to avoid in an emergency. I doubt if speed humps have killed people lying in an ambulance. We need speed humps on high risk sections of road to reduce the risk posed by speeding drivers. Mill End Road is a prime candidate for a few humps in my opinion.
wayne, wycombe says...
9:40pm Sun 6 Apr 08
The potholes in Mill End Road has everything to do with the risk, the fact that there is a downhill stretch with potholes is likely to load a vehicle's suspension and in wet, ensure that a healthy deposit of gravel is left after it rains, especially where goods vehicles are concerned. Many drivers are also making dangerous manouvres in order to to avoid the potholes in the road thus taking ones' eyes off the the fact that there is a school nearby. What is needed at Mill End Road is a crossing.
You are right with regards to action and proportionality with regards to deaths in hospital and road fatalities, the fact however remains, that road deaths aren't being prevented by the measures that are currently being developed, people are dying on our roads at all speeds, in fact less than 5% of fatalities have been linked to speed alone, the majority being driving without due care.
Have a chat with an ambulance driver and ask them about road humps,
fuktoyou, wycombe says...
9:32am Mon 7 Apr 08
Local, Bucks says...
10:57am Mon 7 Apr 08
There is a path of one side of the road on that road, if the little boy ran out in front of the car, how would a path being there had made the slightest bit of difference??
Jay, High Wycombe says...
1:23pm Mon 7 Apr 08
It is the improper use of speed that causes accidents and the collision added to the increased speed that tends to lead to serious injuries or death therefore you cannot blame the poor road condition for causing an accident as you did with Mill End Road. You should drive according to the conditions, those conditions could be: dry sunny day, good visibility, long straight road, mmm let's go fast! But hang on! Theres a primary school there, hmm, I wonder if I should be a little more careful . I repeat Wayne, you are a cretin!
B Bowles, says...
1:32pm Mon 7 Apr 08
B Bowles, says...
1:37pm Mon 7 Apr 08
Jay, High Wycombe says...
1:40pm Mon 7 Apr 08
wayne, wycombe says...
1:43pm Mon 7 Apr 08
Jay wrote:Argumentum ad hominem
Ah Wayne, yet again you have shown yourself up to be a cretin! I recall some time ago you defending some idiot who caused a serious accident by overtaking in Piddington
It is the improper use of speed that causes accidents and the collision added to the increased speed that tends to lead to serious injuries or death therefore you cannot blame the poor road condition for causing an accident as you did with Mill End Road. You should drive according to the conditions, those conditions could be: dry sunny day, good visibility, long straight road, mmm let's go fast! But hang on! Theres a primary school there, hmm, I wonder if I should be a little more careful . I repeat Wayne, you are a cretin!
"is most commonly used to refer specifically to the ad hominem abusive, or argumentum ad personam, which consists of criticizing or personally attacking an argument's proponent in an attempt to discredit that argument. It is also used when an opponent is unable to find fault with an argument, yet for various reasons, the opponent disagrees with it"
wayne, wycombe says...
1:44pm Mon 7 Apr 08
Jay wrote:Argumentum ad hominem
Ah Wayne, yet again you have shown yourself up to be a cretin! I recall some time ago you defending some idiot who caused a serious accident by overtaking in Piddington
It is the improper use of speed that causes accidents and the collision added to the increased speed that tends to lead to serious injuries or death therefore you cannot blame the poor road condition for causing an accident as you did with Mill End Road. You should drive according to the conditions, those conditions could be: dry sunny day, good visibility, long straight road, mmm let's go fast! But hang on! Theres a primary school there, hmm, I wonder if I should be a little more careful . I repeat Wayne, you are a cretin!
"is most commonly used to refer specifically to the ad hominem abusive, or argumentum ad personam, which consists of criticizing or personally attacking an argument's proponent in an attempt to discredit that argument. It is also used when an opponent is unable to find fault with an argument, yet for various reasons, the opponent disagrees with it"
Jay, High Wycombe says...
2:06pm Mon 7 Apr 08
wayne, wycombe says...
3:35pm Mon 7 Apr 08
As I've already stated, Guilty pleas tend to mask the causation of road crashes of which there are a number of attribute, not just speeding and not just the driver. Such is the focus of the prosecution and punishment, that we lose ourselves to the hue-and-cry of the mob rather than with a calm but influential manner.
We allow ourselves to be misguided by headlines at ours and our children's own detriment, nobody is any the wiser and very often the wrong solutions are attributed as a result.
Yes, the simple solution would be to hang the bloke, brush our hands, install speed humps and have done with it but it won't stop deaths on the road.
Lastly, I have no doubt that one would be able to reach 50mph down Mill End Road, the question is how one measures it. For example, TVSP's own (massaged)statistics show that KSI that were attributed to speeding alone were down 2.4% between 2005 - 2006 yet those attributed to mobile phones was up a staggering 150%, speed humps will not help here; MORE POLICE highlighting drivers mistakes and ridding us of the idiots would be preferable,flashing SID highlighting a school lollypop people (many have been proven too costly and have been handed their cards),a decent crossing might help we should also ask ourselves how aware are our children AND us, are at crossing the road? The children at Mill end Road, as with many disply some shocking characteristics while leisurely walking across the road, in other words,all road users should be aware of their actions and those of their charge.
influxuk, terriers says...
5:11pm Mon 7 Apr 08
is the geezer really worse for just having an accident whilst driving too fast alot worse than all the violent crack heads in micklefield and desborough or the thievs round here?
tom, marlow says...
7:01pm Mon 7 Apr 08
point by point
who does actually drive at 30 anywhere
I do - most other poeople do, where 30 is the limit.
and whilst he was doing well over........he never meant to do nayone any harm and as the judge said is a man of good character other than this
But you have to act responsibly and be aware of the risks in what you are doing. Not to do so is negligent.
theres alot worse people roaming the streets than this bloke
easy to say but hard to count
who made a mistake that could have happened to anyone of young people driving round here - me included
which is effectively saying that there are many young people including you who drive negligently
who was controlling the kid at the road - he was only 5.
They must feel just as bad as well. Kids do stupid things. Small kids do very stupid things. If the driver had been going slower he may not have hit him. If he had been going slower and had still hit him the result may not have been fatal. We've all seen the statistics on that.
is the geezer really worse for just having an accident whilst driving too fast alot worse than all the violent crack heads in micklefield and desborough or the thievs round here?
Not really a useful question. Its like comparing apples with oranges. It depends on how bad you think the crackheads etc are. I dont live there. On the other hand I feel my kids are more at risk from negligent and reckless drivers.
Ultimately everyone involved, the driver, the boys family are going to have to live with this for the rest of their lives and its an awful thing to have happened.
Hopefully it will result in increased awarenes that this kind of thing will happen if you dont drive responsibly.
Mr S Dragon, Moon Crescent says...
11:14am Tue 8 Apr 08
influxuk wrote:
to be fair i feel a tad sorry for the driver....
Sorry I don't!
Mr Mear broke the law, a child died and he is serving a relatively short term in prison. No hysteria, no knee jerk reaction, simply a fact.
The only thing in Mr Mears favour is the fact that he had the decency to pleaded guilty, this coupled with genuine remorse will have worked in his favour for the sentencing.
I have no reason to doubt that he is/was a man of good character but driving at that speed when he knew that the limit was 30 was a pre meditated act. I expect that taking this childs life through his own recklessness will affect him for the rest of his life. But my thoughts remain with Charlies parents, relatives and friends, I pray that their suffering will numb in time.
wayne, wycombe says...
3:34pm Tue 8 Apr 08
Mr S Dragon wrote:You infer at one point that the driver is a child killer, then you go on to state the driver was reckless, which is it? The driver didn't take this childs' life, the speed was a contributing factor but the greater was that the child ran in front of the vehicle.
influxuk wrote: to be fair i feel a tad sorry for the driver....Sorry I don't! Mr Mear broke the law, a child died and he is serving a relatively short term in prison. No hysteria, no knee jerk reaction, simply a fact. The only thing in Mr Mears favour is the fact that he had the decency to pleaded guilty, this coupled with genuine remorse will have worked in his favour for the sentencing. I have no reason to doubt that he is/was a man of good character but driving at that speed when he knew that the limit was 30 was a pre meditated act. I expect that taking this childs life through his own recklessness will affect him for the rest of his life. But my thoughts remain with Charlies parents, relatives and friends, I pray that their suffering will numb in time.
How many mistakes have you made that were out of your control yet you still blame yourself for?
Once again, only headlines are reported and the facts are lost.
Mr S Dragon, Moon Crescent says...
5:07pm Tue 8 Apr 08
Had Mr Mear been travelling at 30 mph or the road was NSL and the outcome of the tragedy been the same, then Mr Mear could probably be a free man. I say probably because the Police could still charge for death by dangerous driving.
Quite simply had the child dashed across the road in front of Mr Mears vehicle, which was travelling within the 30mph limit, then the chances are that Mr Mear may have been able to stop in time. Maybe even honk the horn and bellow some profanity but the fact is that he was driving too fast to stop in time. I struggle to understand how this exonerates him from the accusation that he was responsible for Charlies death.
I am not sure that I understand your question though, are you suggesting that Mr Mear is not guilty of death by dangerous driving despite his guilty plea?
Ron Schreck, says...
5:30pm Tue 8 Apr 08
My Point: Here is another example of the council/police/commu
nity being Reactive instead of ProActive.
So many times, people know of the dangers, some of them point them out, but NOBODY wants to act on the problem, until it is too late and a catastrophy such as this happens. this is just one example: As said in the story; "The Great Kingshill Residents Association is working closely with Hughenden Parish Council to try and provide a safer route for pedestrians to walk along the stretch of Cockpit Road where the tragic accident occurred".
What is the tragic story here?
"Had a footpath been provided here we still feel the accident would not have happened."
And all these people knew of the unsafe situation but it had to take a young boys life before any attempt to solve the problem is even considered.
Nige_Wycombe, High Wycombe says...
3:51pm Wed 9 Apr 08
Charlie Harris
In this section
- Second athletics club backs Handy Cross track move
- Police: cliff falls "quite unprecedented”
- "Diversity" DVD for schools
- Eden "more empty than High Street"
- Parking supremo: Marlow bays "entirely legitimate"
- Re-routed traffic warning over town centre plans
- Uni team to take on Three Peaks
- Two in court charged with murder of Jourdan Griffiths
- Hole ripped in fuel lorry on M40
- Students vote Bucks New Uni among best in country
Sponsored Links
Local Links
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Franky, High Wycombe says...
4:43pm Sat 5 Apr 08
My daughter goes to Millbrook Combined school on Mill End Road and you see cars speeding past at anything up to 50mph (I'm not kidding) with children and parents walking along the footpath literally a few feet from the passing cars. That stretch of road is like a drag racing speed track, long and straight. It encourages drivers to put their foot down and believe me, they certainly do that. A couple of speed humps on that road would certainly improve the situation. We have speed humps where they are hardly needed but not in high risk areas like Mill End Road. My question to Wycombe District Council is.... WHY???