Meg williamson comes face to face with the driver responsible for her boyfriends death. The bbcs inside out south team reports in fatal distraction. My my boyfriend was killed lastjune on the a34. One car was travelling northbound. It was the southbound car that hit, smashed through the central reservation and hit gavin head on on The Other Side of the road. I was on the phone to my girlfriend at the time. I was scared of losing her and they were emotional calls. Shouting calls, emotional calls, raging calls, but shouldnt have been made that night. I will live with that forever and ever. At 24, forever and ever. At 2a, Lewis Stratford is lucky to be alive. He never imagined his frantic calls to save his relationship would end a life. Gavin was an australian through and through. He used to make me feel safe. We talked about holidays, we talked about potentially going out to australia together. The plans that we had were exciting. Something we were both really looking forward to. Gavin and School Teacher meg met when he moved to swindon. His work as an electrical engineer involved long shifts on the railways. He was working on the electricfication of the railway and he would work nights mostly. And thenjust and he would work nights mostly. And then just before the accident it was his last night shift and he was due to work days in the office, so he wouldnt be making any long, late night journeys. He was on his way to work. And then he was about six miles or so from work and just didnt make it. I dont remember the incident. Ive no memory of any of it, which i dont want to remember it, but i cant remember any of it. In swindon, meg was woken bya in swindon, meg was woken by a call from a friend, telling her that gavin had been in an accident. I got to the hospitaljust after 8am and he was just completely connected with tubes and monitors and ijust remember sitting next to him, begging him, praying for him to wake up. Id give anything to swa p pla ces id give anything to swap places with him. Lewis was rushed to the same hospital. Doctors told his family to prepare for the worst. I read letters that were sent from the hospital to my gp that night and it said that i would probably deteriorate through the night. The doctor told my family that i had a 70 chance of dying that night. But gavins family and meg the news was even worse. The consultant came into the room and told them that there was nothing they could do and ijust remember My Legs Com Pletely remember my legs completely giving in. I remember my mum grabbing hold of me. And walking me through the Intensive Care Unit and it genuinely felt like a dream. It felt like i was watching it happen to somebody else. And as i stood up, i kissed him 0h and as i stood up, i kissed him on his forehead and told him it was ok to go. I told him not to be scared. And that he could still look after me. Lewis wasnt told gavin had died until after he was discharged from hospital. My dad and stepmum sat me down and just talk me everything. I cried. We we re i cried. We were all in tears. Ididnt want we were all in tears. I didnt want to get better. I was i didnt want to get better. Iwas like. Ididnt want iwas like. I didnt want the physio, the treatments. Ididnt care the treatments. I didnt care about my injuries. Lewis has already pleaded guilty to causing gavins death by dangerous driving. Now meg has asked to meet him. I want to ask what possessed him to pick up his mobile phone Behind The Wheel. I want to know how hes feeling now, how it might affect him and to let him know how im feeling, how gavins family are feeling, what weve had to go through. When i had the message that she wanted to meet me, i felt upset because im guilty andi i felt upset because im guilty and i feel like im a bad person, like im hated everywhere andi like im hated everywhere and i thought she would hate me and i thought she would hate me andi and i thought she would hate me and i was just. I felt, and i was just. Ifelt, um, and i was just. I felt, um, why would she want to stare at a murderer . Meeting will clearly be tough for both of them. Do you know what the first thing you will say to lewis might be . Thought about that . Im hoping he is going to start the conversation. Its the morning of the meeting. Lewis is first to arrive. Im really nervous. Scared. Shaky. I cant keep still at the minute. Playing with my kind of elastic band to try to focus my mind a little bit. Just how hes going to react when he first sees me. I suppose how im going to react as well. If im going to freak out, oi if im going to freak out, or be able to just sit down and have a normal conversation with him. And also what questions im going to ask him, because i dont wa nt to going to ask him, because i dont want to miss anything out. I think ithink im i think im thinking about how hes feeling. Not so much what hes done, but how is he feeling seeing me so but how is he feeling seeing me so close and knowing that im going to be asking him the questions. Yeah, i dont know, it is so difficult to describe. I know ive caused a lot of pain for a lot of people. Its something that will stay with me. I know what ive done. The lives ive ruined, yeah. Ive ruined a lot of peoples lives, happiness. And i deserve everything i get from whatever comes now. Hate, anger. Lam hate, anger. I am sorry, but i cant keep saying sorry, because i know you dont want to hear. Sorry wont make anything better, ever. What were you arguing with the Ex Girlfriend about . She was due to come up to me oii she was due to come up to me on the friday night, but she said no and then we was arguing all day saturday. We we re we was arguing all day saturday. We were going to leave it until the sunday. I got it until the sunday. Igot in it until the sunday. I got in the Saturday Night andi i got in the Saturday Night and ijust i got in the Saturday Night and i just drove i got in the Saturday Night and ijust drove down, angrily. She was on the phone as the crash happened. She said she heard scraping and brakes screeching. And obviously the impact was quite loud, she said. She said it was quite loud. He wasjust minding his own business that night. Thats what i think about all the time, what he must have seen. I dont know. I hate to. I hate to. Just who was going to work. He was probably just just who was going to work. He was probablyjust going to work and itjust he was probablyjust going to work and it just makes he was probablyjust going to work and itjust makes me feel horrible. Before the crash, lewis worked asa before the crash, lewis worked as a painter before the crash, lewis worked Asa Painterand before the crash, lewis worked as a painter and decorator. Life revolved around family and friends. Imjusta family and friends. Im just a normal 24 year old guy whojust works, im just a normal 24 year old guy who just works, lives at home with his parents, cant afford a place on his own yet. Im nothing special. Ive lived here for nearly 20 years with my family, grown up around this area. I used to play football on the fields over there with friends. This is the way i walked to the football match. This is the stadium, the way we walk in. Its usually obviously busier than it is now. That is whether singing goes. My grandad likes to keep quiet, so we my grandad likes to keep quiet, so we sit with him in the south stand and keep him happy. He brings the sweets. This is where we go into our seats. You can go in any of them, really, but we tend to use three and four. That leads us out onto our seats, front row. Its a good seat. If someone gets convicted ofa crime, if someone gets convicted of a crime, or an offence, you know you get to see what that person is like. What background they got. Everyone assumes that theyre bad. I went to work five days a week, came home, made dinner, played darts in the week came to foot ball played darts in the week came to football on the weekend. Love the family, love friends, ive obviously lost byjob, lost my car, ive ruined lives. You dont know whats around the corner. You dont know whats coming tomorrow. Knowing how much gavin meant to others is comforting for meg. Today she is meeting his workmates. Gavin was definitely amazing. He was really, really good at his work. He was one of the ones that, you know, you can depend on. It is rare that you see a high level engineer with such a good sense of humour, you know. He was a funny guy. One of the best guys i have ever worked with. This is one of the Engineering Trains that was named after gavin in his honour and it is so special because it is one of the only trains that have been named after somebody in the last 100 years. It is so important for me to be able to remember him by what he used to remember him by what he used to love and the job that he did and how much of a difference it was making. I cant stop on the a34, i cant stop on the a34, i cant pull over to one side and remember him and see where it all happened. Ilaid where it all happened. I la id flowers where it all happened. I laid flowers shortly after the accident with a police escort, butjust to be able to pass by this Engineering Train and smile is enough to meet a kind of feel something and be happy that he is close by. Ijust felt like i hadnt done it, i was ijust felt like i hadnt done it, iwas like, ijust felt like i hadnt done it, i was like, and my capable of Something Like that . Ididnt of Something Like that . I didnt think i was going to be. I couldnt believe that i couldnt believe that i could have done it, but i had, andi i could have done it, but i had, and i have to accept it and. Face it. What injuries did they tell you that he had . I dont want to like go on about it, cause. I broke my left leg. Itore my aorta. I had ihada i had a stint fitted in the aorta and some internal injuries, they had to put me in a coma to keep me breathing because my lungs were quite squashed. My auntie told me that itook my auntie told me that i took my Oxygen Mask Off and i said to her, it was my fault, it was my fault, and they didnt tell me what happened. But i knew i was in trouble. Because the police were bringing my stuff from my car in the bags and. Are you angry at me . Are you angry at me . A little bit. Yeah. But then so many people do it, so many people. It was a stupid mistake. I dont want to hate you for ever. Iam not i dont want to hate you for ever. I am not that type of person. And eventually i will probably be able to forgive you. But i just needed able to forgive you. But ijust needed some questions answering first. To be honest, i expected the hate and abuse. I dont know what youre like. I dont know what youre like. I dont know. I expect it from anyone who sees me oii i expect it from anyone who sees me on the street. If they want to have a go, i will listen and accept anything that people want to say. Like, iwas that people want to say. Like, i was scared to meet you. So, youve got all your stuff together that you need . Im going to go over it again. Asa im going to go over it again. As a first time offender, prison isa as a first time offender, prison is a daunting prospect for lewis, so is a daunting prospect for lewis, so he and his stepmum have been looking at what he needs to ta ke looking at what he needs to take with him. Books, stamps. Comfortable shoes, cash. I feel like i comfortable shoes, cash. Ifeel like i have been kept here to pay for this. Have you got all your toiletries and everything . I feel like i toiletries and everything . Ifeel like i have been kept here to pay for the mistake i have made and punished, really. My dad, grandad in the middle, fa cup, and me with the premier league. Lewis paxman mento is but gavin is never far from Lewis Paxman Mento is but gavin is neverfarfrom his Lewis Paxman Mento is but gavin is never far from his thoughts. I feel like i ifeel like i know i feel like i know him. I feel like i know him. Ifeel like i met him. Tell me about those dreams. Just being in the car, raining, It Wasjust Darkness just being in the car, raining, it was just darkness in the car. What macro. Do you think that will ever leave you . No. What do you think the publics perception of you is . Um, murderer, stupid idiot. I accept a stupid idiot. Lam nota i accept a stupid idiot. I am not a murderer. That is a comment i wont accept. Because i didnt mean it. And i didnt mean to end his life. I was so angry, so angry. And it was gavins mum, really, that showed the compassion and said that showed the compassion and said that we have to remember there are other people involved. And at that point it was more ofa and at that point it was more of a realisation for me that somebodys stupid mistake has caused something so traumatic for so many people. After the accident, meg took solace in writing down all other thoughts from her time with gavin. This was not our future. We had plans, paris, brugge, northern lights, australia, graduation. I wrote to him every day. I filled a book with letters and notes just so that he knew what i was up to, what i was doing, what i was up to, what i was doing, what i was thinking about. You say you wrote to him, was that while he was here, oi was that while he was here, or after he had passed away . No, i wrote to him once he had passed away. It was easierfor he had passed away. It was easier for me to talk to him like that. Why is it so important to you to have this box of memories . I guess because im scared im going to forget him. You start to have days where life feels normal and then you feel guilty because youre still here. And ive been suffering really badly with my anxiety. Getting onto that road is really difficult, but i have sisters that travel 0h but i have sisters that travel on it, friends that travel 0h on it, friends that travel on it, friends that travel on it every single day. So, it probably adds to my worry. I think ithinki i think i am more conscious when im driving mostly of other drivers on the road now, and if they are on their own, drivers on the road now, and if they are on their phone you know, i just and if they are on their phone you know, ijust think that they dont realise. And a lot of people just dont care because they dont think it is going to happen to them. No one thinks it happens to them. And they shouldnt take Something Like this for them to think, lets not be on the phone, people should know before. I learnt the hard way, but it shouldnt have to be this way. So, what now going forwards, what happens . Every time i look at my phone, i dont want to. I look at this phone and im thinking, i dont wa nt and im thinking, i dont want to answer it every time. And if i could live without a phone, i would, i wouldnt use one again. I will never drive again, ever. What would you say to somebody who is going to pick up their phone Behind The Wheel today without even thinking about it . Dont do it, cos picking up a phone, no matter how nice or good you are, accidents like this can happen to anyone oii can happen to anyone on the road by using a phone. Something ive got to learn for, something ive got to pay a price for, and i will learn from it. Thank you for agreeing to meet me and answering my questions. I know it has been hard. Ijust want i know it has been hard. I just want you i know it has been hard. Ijust want you to know that i am sorry. Like, when people hear about this, they assume automatically that i am some person that hasnt got oii some person that hasnt got on with life and just people that has caused trouble day in and day out. I know what i am not that guy. I have no bad upbringing. I have no bad upbringing. I have no bad upbringing. I have no excuse for what has happened. Ijust want what has happened. I just want to what has happened. Ijust want to say sorry for everything and thanks for everything and thanks for meeting me, yeah. At the end of a gruelling 50 minutes together, meg gets some fresh air, leaving lewis to reflect 0h leaving lewis to reflect on the meeting. It is hard to get across to her how sorry i am, because something so sorry i am, because something so tragic has happened like this, sorry is not enough. And i said that it was a cheap way really just to and i said that it was a cheap way reallyjust to keep saying sorry. There is no other way that i can think of that would make it up to people. I think he was a lot softer and a lot more open than i expected him to be. He was really forthcoming with his answers. And quite happy to talk. He was very apologetic. Iam he was very apologetic. I am pleased i have done it. Iam i am pleased i have done it. I am pleased i have done it. I am pleased i have had the opportunity to let lewis know how i have been impacted. But also to hear him say that it was just a stupid mistake, you know, and that he is aware of what he has done, he is upset in how it has affected him and his family, has given me a little bit of closure, i think. Lam happy of closure, i think. I am happy that i have met meg. Im happy that she wanted to meet me. And i hope it provides closure that will help them move on and help me get through this as well, the next chapter of serving punishment, but more importantly, hopefully she finds a way that it can help. Weather front is swinging back and forth across the uk like a pendulum. No two days are the same which is welcome news if you live in scotland where it was pretty miserable, hardly worth stepping outside. Different across the Midlands Club beautiful blue skies as depicted from bournville. The showers spoilt the brent end of the day and the persistent rain has been across the far north and east, over an inch of rain in scotland. Low pressure continues to move that rain across the Northern Isles and be replaced by another Weather Front pushing into the South West Bringing Wet and windy weather. Sandwiched in between some clear sky, a light frost possible but you should start the day with decent spells of sunshine. It is not expected to last, Gale Force Gusts and rain across the south west pushing away steadily north and east through the morning. The best of the sunshine is likely to beat in the extreme north, a scattering of showers in scotland but in comparison to today, batter. Decentin but in comparison to today, batter. Decent in Northern Ireland and the north of england, The Rain Sitting Down into the south east by nine a m accompanied by squally winds. Following on behind, scattered showers though some showers across the south west and west wales will merge for longer spells of rain and the wind will remain quite a feature. For some, not the wind will remain quite a feature. Forsome, Nota The Wind will remain quite a feature. For some, not a pleasant afternoon, clusters of showers driven along further inland with Westerly Winds and in the north we keep sunshine, a better day. In terms of the feel of things, not as warm as today, seven to 10 degrees is the overall high. The early half of next week, it looks as if the u nsettled of next week, it looks as if the unsettled theme continues, low pressure m oves unsettled theme continues, low pressure moves away but another with a glancing blow in the South West First Thing On Monday but a relatively quiet and cloudy day on monday before another system waits in the wings for tuesday. Or that tra nslates in the wings for tuesday. Or that translates monday into tuesday as being rather a cloudy day on monday, heavy rain into the south west early on, persistent rain on tuesday. Bbc world news today. President trump accuses ba rack bbc world news today. President trump accuses barack obama of tapping his phone during the election campaign. The obama camp denies it. Francois fillon tries to keep his Campaign Alive after another of his homes is raided. Another low in the relationship between malaysia and north korea, the north Korean Ambassador is told to leave kuala lumpur. We have all the sport including a fractious showdown between Manchester United and bournemouth
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