The mother of a 17-year-old boy killed in a car crash three years ago says she is devastated that his roadside memorial has disappeared.
Jack King was a front-seat passenger when driver Alex Jaggs lost control of his Ford Fiesta and smashed into a tree in Elm Avenue, Eastcote in May 2010.
Jack died instantly and Jaggs was jailed for five years in 2011, after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.
In the months following Jack’s death, the King family built a memorial at the spot where he died. It was a grieving place for the young man's friends and family, who had attached photographs, cards and flowers to the tree.
Last week, Jack’s mum, Michelle, found out the memorial had been taken down. Hillingdon Council has confirmed it did not remove it, and now Mrs King, who lives in Cranbourne Drive, Pinner, is desperate to be reunited with the items pinned to the tree.
"I can't believe someone would do that, it’s cruel and I just don’t understand it," she said.
"That stuff was put there for a reason; memories – and they all mean things to me. I would like whoever has it to give it back.
"You don’t have to say who you are, just leave it at the tree. That’s the only place where we go and think about Jack. He was not buried, he was cremated, and so we do not have a grave that we can visit. It feels the same as someone ripping up his gravestone."
Mrs King said she will decorate the tree for Christmas, something she has done every year since her son’s death, and would like to permanently install a plaque on the tree.
Sharon Buswell also lost her 17-year-old son, Jason Carter, in June this year. The Queensmead School student was found dead in Long Meadow, Eastcote after apparently taking ecstasy given to him by a friend. Ms Buswell said it was the first time the teenager had taken drugs. The inquest into his death has not yet been completed.
Ms Buswell has set up her own memorial in the field near to an entrance in Cheyney Street. It was while she was visiting her son’s memorial that she met Mrs King, who was walking her dog.
The two women now meet up every Friday and have become friends, helping each other to deal with their loss.
Ms Buswell said: "The memorial is comforting because you know that is the last place he was alive. It is still upsetting but I feel closer to him there."
Hillingdon Council has guidelines on how to handle roadside memorials, which mainly apply to larger sites on crossings, pavements and verges which could pose a hazard to drivers.
Memorials can remain for 13 months after a death, so the bereaved can commemorate the first anniversary.
After that, the council will make efforts to contact the family to arrange for items to be removed.
Some memorials, such as Jack King’s, become permanent.
The council says it will not intervene unless the memorial itself is ‘unsightly’ and poses some risk. A more ‘robust approach’ is taken if the memorial causes upset to the wider public.
Should all memorials be permanent? Is 13 months about right? Leave your comments below.
