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The Pontefract & Castleford Express carried a piece on page 3 today asking Carl's friends & Family to write about their memories of him. The new page - "Memories of Fergy" was added to rememberingfergy on Monday, 'Hopefully Carl's friends will see this as a positive, the message I have been getting from people is that Carl was a happy lad and people saw that - both myself and Fergy's Mum - Dawn think that this could be a forum for Carl's friends so they can remember their friend and contribute to building a permenant memorial to him' said Dave Malcolm, Carl's Uncle.
'We lost our Mother 20 years ago, I was 16 at the time, and I remember feeling very alone in dealing with it. I found it difficult to cope with the emotions and things, When Carl was killed, I saw the many young people at his funeral, and I was surprised at how they were handling things at such a young age. When I decided to set up rememberingfergy, i was determined to open the site up so that his friends could contribute in their own way to Fergy's memorial - and that still holds true today, if any of Carl's friends want to contribute in anyway to rememberingfergy, all they have to do is email me from the links page on rememberingfergy and I'll accomodate them in any way I can' he continued.
Friday 15th Sept 06
Visit to crash scene planned
Carl's Mother - Dawn Ferguson and other family members intend to visit the scene where Carl was Killed on Saturday 16th September to mark the 6 month anniversary of Fergy's Death.
Dawn and other family members will be laying Flowers at the Crash scene on Black Road just outside Wakefield sometime during the day.
Monday 18th September 06
Carl's mother Dawn along with Ian and other family members made the sad pilgrimage to Carl's Grave at Ferrybridge Cemetary and the crash site on Black Road near Heath Common today to mark the 6 month period since the crash that took Carl from us. Floral arrangements were left at both locations to mark the occasion, a few pictures taken were sent to me to be re-posted on rememberingfergy, these are included below.
The Crash Scene on Black Road near Heath Common on Monday 18th September 2006 - 6 months after Carl's tragic death.
Carl's grave at Ferrybridge Cemetary on Monday 18th September 2006 - 6 Months on from the tragic Crash
Tuesday 19th September 06
Carl's Mother Dawn has provided her memories of her beloved only Child Fergy. This 'From the Heart' personal memory can be found on the 'Memories of Fergy' page.
The article that apeared in the Pontefract and Castleford Express on Thursday 14th September 06 has now been reprinted and can be viewed on the Press Releases page.
Monday 2nd October 2006
Carl's Mother - Dawn was sent a picture of Carl to her mobile from a friend of Carl's last night. This friend was in Fergy's company on the night he died and took the picture in Kiko's Nightclub in Pontefract, this photo is very important to the family as it is a reminder of Carl's last night, It will be placed on the page 'A life in pictures'.
In view of this picture coming to light, I am asking YOU! - Carl's Friends to check your mobiles. If you have a picture of Carl taken after his 18th Birthday on your phone, I would be grateful if you could send it to me, my email addy can be found on the links to other sites page. Any received photo's will then be placed the page 'A life in pictures' to complete the photographic memorial. Photo credit will be given, just add your name to any pictures sent, Thank you.
Picture taken in Kiko's Nightclub in Pontefract on the evening of Friday 17th March 2006. Less than 12 Hours Later, Carl was Killed in a Car Crash on Black Road near Heath Common, Wakefield.
To our knowledge now, this is the last picture taken of Carl. Do you have picture's of Carl taken on that evening?
Email them to me by clicking on the link on the Links to other sites page so they can be included on rememberingfergy. Full photo credit will be given if your name is included.
Thursday 19th October 2006
Visitor's to rememberingfergy can now view the newly re-worked pictorial video's in memory of fergy. The new video's (3 in total) deal with different periods in Carl's life.
Part one - 'The Early Years' is set to DJ Sammy's Candlelight version of Heaven which was played at Carl's funeral and Cremation.
Part two - 'Childhood' is set to 'My Immortal' by Evanescence which is a personal favourite song of mine.
Part three - 'The Final Chapter' is set to 'Our Farewell' by Dutch Gothic Rock band Within Temptation. They are not that well known here in the UK, but I think the words in the song say a lot about what people thought of Fergy, I hope the three videos will be viewed as part of the larger memorial to Carl here on rememberingfergy.
Dave Malcolm
Tuesday 31st October 2006
You Tube Honour's Fergy Memorial Video
You Tube - the online video upload site has honoured one of Carl's memorial video tribute's.
The video - "Heaven - A Tribute to Fergy" has been awarded the honour as being one of the top rated video's within the people category.
'Although I re-worked Carl's video's when I got my new PC,I decided to keep all the version's of Carl's memorial video's on You Tube' said Dave 'This honour from You Tube shows that people from around the world are watching Fergy's story and are remembering him which is what His Mother wanted. I'm so happy for Dawn that Carl's memory has been honoured in this way. There are 7 Video Tributes to Carl and they have been viewed collectively by over 5000 people from around the world - on You Tube alone! This tied in with the 5000+ views here on the main site means Carl's video's have been seen by at least 10,000 people worldwide. 'I've noticed messages on You Tube and here on the site from people in Poland, Norway, Australia & New Zealand, Canada, Ireland (North & South), Russia, The USA and even The Ivory Coast. I must thank all those people who have been linking to the video's on you tube and emailing the links to their friends, it is their support that give's Dawn Strength and I know she is very thankful to anyone who has supported this site' he concluded
Tribute to Kyle David Miller
rememberingfergy is proud and honoured to remember the life of Kyle David Miller. I came accross Kyle's story Whilst updating Carl's videos on You Tube and was immediately touched by the story. Kyle was an Innocent 3 year old rear seat passenger - legally restrained in a booster seat when another vehicle drove through a red light and smashed into the MPV Kyle and his family were travelling in.
The MPV was shunted off the road, during this time the MPV rolled over numerous times and ended up in a ditch on its side. Some time during the roll, Kyle's safety belt latch failed and he was thrown through the side window and tragically died of his injuries.
I feel so strongly about this story because of the courage shown by kyle's parents Kevin & Christine and kyle's surviving sister Katie.
Please go to the Kyle David Miller tribute page to read the account of what happened, watch the embedded video and understand the important message contained within it.
We here at rememberingfergy are proud to be doing our small part in ensuring that the Legacy of Kyle David Miller is seen by as many people as possible, and Our thoughts, strength & prayers are with Kevin, Christine and Katie as they travel this very important journey.
Kyle David Miller pictured with sister Katie
Picture(c) Miller Family
Monday 8th January 2007
22 yr old Jamie Crozier appeared in Wakefield Magistrates Court to be Charged with Causing the Death of Carl John Ferguson by careless driving whilst under the influence of Drink or Drugs contrary to section 3a of the Road Traffic Act.
He was given Unconditional Bail to appear at Leeds Crown Court Next Monday (15th Jan 07).
Crozier is also free to carry on Driving until the outcome of the court action, he faces a maximum of 14 years in prison and a driving ban if convicted of the Death of Carl.
28th January 07
22 year old Jamie Crozier pleaded Guilty to causing Death by careless driving whilst under the influence of Drink or Drugs at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on 15th January 2007. He will be sentenced at the same court on 20th February 07. He is also still free to carry on Driving!
2nd February 07
Less than 24 hours on from the decision to campaign for immediate suspensions of Driving licenses for all those detected driving whilst over the legal limit, It can be announced that Jamie Crozier had his Driving license suspended at Leeds Crown Court this Morning. The ban will last until he is sentenced at the same Court on 20th February 07
15th February 2007
Visitors to rememberingfergy may have noticed over the past few days that "Bad Content removed" labels have appeared on this page. This is due to piczo receiving a complaint from a member of the Crozier Family.
In emails sent to me by the family member, this site was accused of printing information that made it seem that the person convicted for causing carls death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs was an uncaring individual who did not care about his actions. I would like to stress that rememberingfergy has not printed material that has not already been printed in the media. rememberingfergy has not offered personal opinion as to the personality of the person convicted of Fergy's death.
Jamie Crozier was not identified as the person responsible for Carls death until after his first Court appearence on the 8th of January 2007.
On a personal note, piczo did not contact me in advance - nor have they done so since - to tell me that a complaint had been received, or the nature of the complaint.
The way Carl Died is an important aspect of his Eulogy - and that includes the persons involved and the manner in which he died, and rememberingfergy would be failing Carl and his memory if we did anything other than publish the truth.
However, rememberingfergy has always stated that we will only publish information as and when it is released into the public domain, and we will continue to do so until the whole truth about the way Carl died is known.
Tuesday 20th February 2007
Jamie Crozier was sentenced to 4 years in prison and a 5 year Driving Ban for causing carl's death - despite already serving an 12 month drink driving ban previously which only ended 3 months before the crash that claimed Carl's life. That was the verdict made in leeds Crown Court today. Again, there was no remorse expressed to Carl's Mother by Crozier - either in person - or through his Solicitor. Below are the Judge's Pre Sentrence Comments in Full.
Judge James Stewart QC
"Not only by your careless driving did you cause young Carl's death but you caused injuries to two other passengers and to yourself.
You drank three to four pints of lager and an additional five bottles of lager. You knew you shouldn't drive. Your brother told you not to drive but you ignored his instruction. You knew best.
You came across young Carl Ferguson and his friend who were walking to make their ways home and you offered them a lift.
They weren't to know, I find, that you were over the prescribed limit.
On your way you negotiated a left hand bend at a speed in excess of 50mph. You were quite plainly going at a grossly excessive speed. You lost control, hit a tree and caused the almost immediate death of Carl Ferguson.
It is true you stayed at the scene to wait for the police but then you set to excuse your behaviour saying that you swerved to avoid a car. This was a plain indication to me you were thinking about yourself and not the unfortunate Carl Ferguson who was lying unconscious in hospital to die two hours later.
Your breath level shows you were at the time driving almost twice the limit. You have a previous conviction for exactly that offence.
It is a tragedy that you didn't learn from that mistake.
By your stupidity you snuffed out the life of that young man who had a wonderful future ahead of him and a loving family.
Nothing I can do or say can bring young Carl back to life. Nothing I can do or say will reduce the anguish of his family".
23rd Feb 07
The campaign to give Police the power to suspend drivers who test positive for excessive drink or drugs has received a massive boost today. Long standing national charities CADD (Campaign against Drink Drivers) and sister charity SCARD (Support and Care After Road Death and Injury) have endorsed Campaign4Carl and placed direct links to both the official petition and rememberingfergy on their websites.
Commenting, Dave Malcolm from rememberingfergy said "This is a welcome boost and shows us that we are on the right track to try and get some justice for all those affected by the actions of drunk drivers" .
He Continued "Obviously, we are just normal people, and we have no experience in running a campaign of this magnitude, but CADD and SCARD have a wealth of experience and are well respected campaigning charities who have already achieved so much for victims and their families. We would like to thank Rob, Carole and all their supporters for lending their support to this Cause".
2nd March 07
rememberingfergy is opening up the debate regarding Drunk Drivers to a worldwide audience.
Today we have added an International support message board for use by visitors from outside the UK so they can add their voice to the growing number of people expressing concern at the loopholes in the Law regarding the right of innocent road users to be protected on the roads from confirmed Drink Drivers who are waiting to go to Court.
Dave Malcolm, from rememberingfergy said " I have noticed a lot of messages especially from You Tube users who have tried to link to the petition and sign it, but because they are not resident in the UK are not able to sign. By adding the International board, we can open the whole issue up to any person - regardless whether they live in the UK or not, and they will have an input because we will submit the messages we receive on the International board to the British Prime Minister and ask him to raise the issue with International Leaders, and ask that he try to get a common policy adopted by as many Countries as possible when it comes to dealing with Drunk Drivers"
The International board has its own page on rememberingfergy and all messages received before August 6th 2007 will be submitted along with the Paper petition as soon as the Online UK Petition closes.
5th March 07
The first Landmark in Campaign4Carl has been reached today. At 9:03am (GMT), the official petition recieved its 100th signature and thus guaranteed that the Prime Minister would have to respond. Commenting, Dave Malcolm from rememberingfergy said "This is Great news for Dawn and everyone else concerned with Drink Drivers and their actions on the roads. 100 Names may not seem a lot to some people, but when you consider just how much publicity this campaign has had so far, it is a milestone and means that regardless of how many names we get before the petition closes on the 6th of August 07, the Prime Minister or the Minister responsible MUST respond directly to the petition. Obviously, we would prefer to have as many names as possible and I would call on all those people who signed the recent petition regarding Road Charging to lend their voices and their signatures to our Petition. It is only by the Public taking ownership of Campaign4Carl and making it an issue that the Government cannot ignore, that many more Mothers and families will be spared the heartache of losing a child or loved one because of Drunk Driving."
The Online petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Campaign4Carl
can be signed by any UK citizen until 6th August 2007.
International visitors can have their voices heard too by leaving a message on the International Board (on this site) which will be handed to the prime Minister at the same time as the Paper petition being run around the Country, along with a call for the Prime Minister to raise the issue with International Leaders
13th March 07
I have received word that some people have experienced problems signing the online petition. I have been in touch with number 10 Downing Street and am passing on their response.
1. Only UK citizens or residents are eligible to sign the petition.
2. For some reason, the petition site will only accept one signature per email address - this is a security feature to combat multiple signatures.
3. If you receive a message saying "site cannot be displayed for security Reasons" when replying to the confirmation email received, than you must enable cookies on your browser and check your firewall settings.
4. Addresses are required purely for auditing purposes only. No 10 only use the address to confirm it exists - again, a security feature, your details are not used for any other purpose, and Campaign4Carl or anyone else do not see them. They are not stored either.
I hope this clears up any problems our visitors experience when taking part in the online petition. International visitors are reminded that a board exists for you to sign on this site, and any messages recieved will be handed in with the official petition with a call for the UK PM to raise the issue of Drunk Drivers with International leaders.
13th March 07
This Sunday - (Mother's Day), marks the first Anniversary of Carl's death.
A Lot has happened over this last year. Carl's family appreciate all the messages of support received from around the world, we thank you all for your support - either through the site, via Campaign4Carl or in person. We are committed to ensuring that the current UK Law is changed regarding Drink Driving legislation as soon as possible. We can only achieve this with the help of people like you!
Please! pass on the details of Campaign4Carl to all your friends, ask them to sign the petition and help us to raise awareness throughout the Country on the state of our Drink Driving Laws. Contact your MP and ask them to raise the issue in Parliment. Next Week we will be looking at other avenues to explore and any help you can give us will never be turned down. Campaign4Carl is a campaign for the people and it is only right that this campaign is run BY the people. Only by the UK Public taking ownership of this Campaign can we be successful in achieving our aim to make the roads safer by taking those who choose to put innocent road users, passengers and pedestrians at risk off the roads immediately.
For too long, our Laws have looked after the rights of the offender - at the expense of Public Safety and the rights of the victims. The time is right for the public to say - NO MORE! its time for the public in general to look past their own self interests and apathy and see the bigger picture.
The reality is that there are hundreds of people now who were caught Drink Driving over Christmas - 3 months ago! driving on UK roads NOW! How many more Kids are going to be killed or left without a Mother or Father before people stand up for the right to be protected from drink drivers?
As you spend Mother's Day with your family this year, spare a thought for those Mothers who will not recieve a card, or flowers or a hug from one of their own children, because a Drunk Driver Killed them or caused their death. Dawn Ferguson is only one of thousands of bereaved Mothers who will be living a personal hell this Mother's day. And as you think about those who are no longer here through no fault of their own, ask yourself - even though it has not affected my family, Can I guarantee that a Drunk Driver will not cause the death of one of my family? 2 Minutes of your time could save someone's life and prevent another family enduring a lifetime of pain and suffering. 2 Minutes of your time to sign an online petition will mean a hug for someone's Mother Next Year!. Thank you for listening, & Happy Mother's Day.
Sunday 18th March 2007
LARSOA features C4C Petition
LARSOA, The UK Local Authority Road Safety Officer's Association who represent all road safety officers in Local Government in the UK have featured Campaign4Carl and links to the petition.
"Parents launch campaign to close 'loophole'
The parents of an 18 year old young man killed by a drink driver have launched a campaign to close a 'loophole in the law' that allows any driver who gives a positive sample to carry on driving.
Carl Ferguson was killed in a car crash in West Yorkshire in March 2006. The 22-year-old driver tested positive for drink driving and in February 2007 was sentenced to four years in prison and given a five year driving ban.
However, from the day of the crash until sentencing he was free to carry on driving - despite the fact that he only completed another 12-month ban for drink driving in December 2005.
Campaign4Carl, which is endorsed by CADD and SCARD, has launched an online petition on the government's website, which can be found at: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Campaign4Carl
For further information about the campaign go to: www.rememberingfergy.piczo.com"
Commenting, Dave Malcolm said " Hopefully this move by LARSOA will encourage more people to sign the petition. We now have on board 3 of the largest Road safety groups in the UK in LARSOA, CADD and SCARD. I am disapointed at the initial response of the Politicians, John Reid's Office have failed to respond to my questions, and the Transport Dept have not even had the decency to reply to the issues the Home Office forwarded to them. I really don't want to have to resort to shaming them into action, but, We are all determined to do everything we can to get action from a Government that has allowed this shameless practice of allowing Drunk Drivers to carry on driving unchecked for many Years. We wan't action NOW! we don't want to see any other families going through the hell of knowing that a drunk driving Killer is still driving on the roads" he concluded.
In an effort to raise awareness of Campaign4Carl, Carl's Aunt - Paula Clark along with her partner and Professional Website designer - Wayne Robbins have launched a linking website at www.campaign4carl.co.uk. Visitors can be linked directly to rememberingfergy, or to the offical petition page.
Commenting, Dave malcolm of rememberingfergy said " I would like to thank my sister Paula and her partner Wayne for doing this. I am convinced that the linking site will increase traffic both for the campaign petition and also for rememberingfergy"
Paula has kindly sponsered the site in memory of Carl, and Wayne is hosting the site free of charge. In the coming days, Paula and Wayne intend to Launch another linking site at www.rememberingfergy.co.uk to further increase awareness.
21st March 07
Poor response from MP's
Initial responses from members of Parliment and Government departments have been poor according to Dave malcolm of rememberingfergy.
"I personally got in touch with the Home Office Department and the Home Secretary as they have responsibility for the Law. John Reid (Home Secretary) has not bothered to reply, and the Home Office palmed my enquiries off to the Transport Department who have not bothered reply either" he said
"My sister - Paula had had more positive results with her local MP Mr Desmond Swayne (Con) and Dawn is still awaiting a full response from her local MP Ms Yvette Cooper (Lab) - I would have thought that Dawn's MP would have been much more helpful as she was Carl's MP too! but I can only hope that these politicians are actually doing something positive as this issue affects every person in the UK that uses the public roads and their safety should be paramount! If the Politicians don't take this issue seriously, then it is a sad inditement on the state of our Country! rememberingfergy will not shirk away in making sure that the MP's we elect and pay for should do their jobs and bring issues like this to parliment. Should they think they can ignore their constituents or a serious flaw which has safety implications for all of us, then we will bring them to task and they will have to explain their inaction to the electorate" he concluded.
21st March 07
New Family/blog page to be launched
rememberingfergy will be launching a new page later this week where members of Carl's family will be able to post their thoughts and personal news in regard to rememberingfergy/Campaign4Carl.
" This was Dawn's Idea and I've spent some time working out the best way of making it work on the site. I think I've got it sorted now, so I'll be making the page available for viewing as soon as I have time to put it on the site" said Dave Malcolm of rememberingfergy.
Any member of Carl's Family will have access to write what they want on the page, and it will be available to all visitors to view. Other updates and tweaks are planned in the coming days and weeks.
1st April 2007
Lord shares Concern
Former MP for Pontefract and Castleford - Now The Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract has told how he shares the concerns of carl's family in a letter, and says he is raising his and our concerns directly with the Home Secretary Rt Hon John Reid MP.
Just 4 days after contacting Lord Lofthouse, Dave malcolm from rememberingfergy received a Letter from the House of Lords, directly from Lord Lofthouse. In the letter, Lord Lofthouse also wrote that he would contact us again once he got a reply from the Home Secretary. Commenting, Dave malcolm said "Any help is welcome, and Lord Lofthouse - whom I remember as Geoff Lofthouse, is one of the most respected Lords - and one of the hardest working. Lord Lofthouse has answered our plight in only 4 days, Paula's MP - Desmond Swayne, answered very quickley too, and although it was not what we wanted to hear, Stephen Ladyman answered too. but the MP's and ministers we really need to be hearing from - don't seem to be that bothered, I sometimes wonder why they get the salary they do?"
18th April 07
Still No Response from UK Government
Despite countless correspondence over the past two months, Carl's Family and supporters are still waiting for a substansive reponse to the issues raised with Ministers from the Home Office and the Department of Transport.
The only repsonse that has come from any part of Government has been notes to refer to The Bail Act 1976!
"If the Government think that this issue will go away - or that they can palm us off with a complete denial of there being a problem with the law as it sits now, then they are sadly mistaken" said Dave Malcolm of rememberingfergy.
" The Blood of any road victim killed or injured by a driver waiting to go to court for on a drink driving charge is firmly now on the hands of the Government. They have been warned, and are fully aware of the problem and have been given a simple & very cheap, Fair answer on how to close the loophole. If they choose to ignore it, then they will have to explain to bereaved families why they failed to act, and make no mistake, WE will make sure that the Government have to account for their failings to the Electorate as well."
"I have now started to look at European Law to see if there is any mechanism we can use to try and force the Government to act, but for the moment, our best way of getting the Government to take notice AND to take the issues raised seriously is to garner as much support from the public as possible, and I appeal to anyone who can help us - be they the media, companies, other organisations and individuals, to join with us to help make the roads safer. I keep saying that this campaign is being waged on behalf of Society and that Society in general must take ownership of it, and we need the public to be involved, so if you can help, please contact us and get involved".
21st April 2007
'Our Claire to Jump for Rye'
Our Friend - Claire Hunt of Walsall in the West Midlands intends to become a superhero in May of this year, when she Jumps into the unknown - all in the name of Charity.
Claire, whose late Husband Ryan is featured on his own memorial page here on rememberingfergy will be Skydiving on the first anniversary of his death in aid of Road Safety Charity "BRAKE".
Commenting, Dave Malcolm from rememberingfergy said "I can't think of a more fitting tribute anyone can do for a loved one taken far too soon. Claire is already a superhero in our eyes, but to commit herself to doing something of this magnitude exactly one year after losing the love of her life takes Guts.
Claire is going to keep us updated, and I intend to add a new page specifically for Claire and her Charity Skydive so she can add a blog and hopefully there will be someone who can take pictures of Claire on the day of the jump which can be added. It really is inspirational when you think about what Claire is doing, and rememberingfergy along with all her Friends and family will be supporting her all the way."
"Hopefully we'll be able to organise a link so that people can sponsor Claire - as 'BRAKE' are set to benefit from the money Claire Raises. I'll be speaking to Claire hopefully in the next few days about what we can do to raise some publicity for her jump, and we'll help in any way we can" Dave concluded.
The Skydive will take place on the 25th of May 2007 at Whitchurch in the UK, further details will be posted as soon as possible.
26th July 2007
Despite numerous and repeated Emails, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP from the Department of Transport, and Carl's MP Yvette Cooper have so far failed to respond to all questions and queries made by Campaign4Carl.
Dave Malcolm said " I emailed Dr Ladyman in Early June in response to the unacceptable response his Department made in April, yet, he has failed to even acknowlage my correspondence. Ms Cooper has not bothered to contact Carl's Mother - one of her own constituents since February 2007. I intend to hand deliver a letter of protest into her constituency office during my family's visit to Yorkshire in two weeks time (9th - 15th August). For your local MP to totally ignore a point of Law and fail to assist a grieving family to gain answers to legitimate questions smacks of a failure of duty. I'm really angry because the People responsible for the law and of debating changes to the law are the same people conveniently ignoring a gaping hole in the law that allows dangerous people to carry on driving when they have killed and maimed innocent people on the roads. They (Politicians) like to tell us what we are doing wrong and like telling us how to live our lives, they dictate morality to the masses, yet seem incapable of practicing what they preach!" he concluded
Tuesday 7th August 2007
The Online petition asking the Government to Ban immediately any driver who gives a positive test for excessive alcohol or drugs has closed. Despite hardly any publicity the petition garnered 352 signatures which wil mean that the Government will have to respond. The Paper petition will continue, and anyone who is interested in conductng a local petition in their area can get petition sheets from Dawn by writing to her or emailing her using the address on the Campaign4Carl page. Thank You to everyone who took the time to sign the online petition. In the coming days we will be re-evaluating the Campaign strategy and formulating a new aproach.
Tuesday 7th August 2007
During his forthcoming trip back to the Pontefract Area, Campaign4Carl administrator and Carl's Uncle - Dave Malcolm will be using the opportunity to hand deliver a letter of Protest to the Constituency MP's Office in Castleford.
"Ever since Carl was killed, Yvette Cooper MP has done absolutely nothing to highlight the fact that drivers who have killed other road users by their own stupidity have been allowed to carry on driving. This has got to the point where the Local Political representative for Carl's own Constituency has ignored the cry's for help from his family and not even bothered to repy to letters of concern. I am convinced that Yvette Cooper MP (Now a Housing Minister) has failed her Constituents by not being there to assist and advise them as they try to untangle the multi - Layers of Beaurocracy within Central Government. If Fergy's Death had been a one off, and the failure to impose a temporary suspension of Crozier's Licence had been a one off, I would not be as angry as I am, but we now have the situation where the driver who killed Carl Blackburn in almost similar circumstances is still legally driving on the roads despite being twice above the legal limit!
No Interim Driving Disqualification has been sought in this case either, and I have recieved letters from other families around the UK who have also had to bury their loved ones whilst those who killed them carry on driving. I want Yvette Cooper to look me in the eye and justify how that can be right - I want her to explain to me why she has turned a blind eye to this issue and why she has failed my Family - HER constituents when it is her primary Job to help and advise them." Dave commented
Dave will be in the Pontefract area from this Thursday (9th August) till the following Wednesday (15th August).
Tuesday 7th August 2007
It's all change at the Department of Transport! All the Minister's we have had dealings with at the Deapartment of Transport have moved on, we have discovered. When Gordon Brown took office, he re-shuffled his Cabinet Ministers and also the Junior Ministers within those departments.
The New Tansport Minister is The Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP and the Junior Ministerial team consists of The Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP, Mr Jim Fitzpatrick MP (Who has taken over from Dr Stephen Ladyman MP) and Mr Tom Harris MP.
I will be writing to Mr Fitzpatrick as soon as I return from England next week and make sure he is fully aware of Campaign4Carl and the issues we want to see resolving, and of course any response will be included on rememberingfergy in due course.
Sunday 19th August 2007
Crozier Family Threaten Legal Action
In an email to Carl's Mother today (19/8/07), The family of convicted Drink Driver - Jamie Crozier who was responsible for the death of Carl Ferguson threatened legal action for using Jamie's name on Carl's memorial page on Gone too soon.
An email forwarded from Gone too Soon to Carl's Mother Dawn Ferguson pertaining to be from a "Patricia Crozier" said:-
"The Crozier family were assured that Jamie Croziers name wouldnt be publicized on gone too soon, we are dissapointed to see that his name indeed is blatently illustrated on ..once again Carl Fergusons memorial site, we are considering taking legal action , this is a memorial site is it not? we believe this site is being used as a personal vendetta against Jamie Crozier."
In Response, Dave Malcolm who set up rememberingfergy and Carl's memorial on Gone too soon has issued the following response to that email:-
"On the 18th of March 2006, Jamie Crozier decided to consume excessive alcohol and drive a motor Car on the public roads. During that time he lost control and took the life of an innocent passenger - Carl Ferguson. When I decided to Build rememberingfergy, I took the concious decision not to reveal any details about the subsequent investigation and the driver concerned until such time as the details were made public through the Courts in the normal way so as not to interfere in the system of Fair Trials prevelent in the UK. We also took the same view in regard to Carl's Gone too Soon site.
This was a very hard thing to do as we knew Crozier had only just finished a drink driving ban 3 months before Causing Carl's Death, and we also knew he was still driving in the intervening time. Personally, I believe he got away with murder. If he was so overcome through grief at what he had done - why did he never try to apologise to Carl's Mother? - How was he able to get behind the wheel of a car for the 10 months he was waiting to go to Court? I Intend to make sure that Carl's story is heard by as many people as possible as a lesson to those people who think its ok to drink and drive and take live's. I re-iterate, that neither site contains material that has not already been available freely on the net or in news publications, and should the Crozier Family feel that Our family is waging a vendetta specifically against Jamie, then feel free to bring legal action. Our only concern is to stop people being killed by people like Jamie Crozier who have no regard for the lives of innocent road users, he did not learn from his first Ban, Maybe he will learn from serving a short time in Prison. I understand Your Family's wish to protect Jamie, But I honestly feel no sympathy toward him for what he did, and I absolutely have no legal or moral responsibility to keep his name from being mentioned despite what you or other members of the Crozier family may think. Our family has published nothing but the truth as taken from news reports and the actual trial. Your complaints and threats serve only to illustrate the generally held view that the perpetraters of criminal acts are better protected than the victim and the victim's family. We did not mention the threats made by the two brothers to the other passenger in the immediate aftermath of the crash - even though the Trial judge refered to the perjury in his closing remarks.
The First time Jamie was Banned could have been atributed to it being a mistake, but to do it again Just 3 months after re-gaining his licence shows he had no regard for the dangers he was posing, and Our Carl lost his life as a direct result of Jamie's lack of judgement. I sincerely hope he see's Carl in his dreams each and every night, I sincerely hope he is so frightened upon release that he never drives again! I doubt it. I think he will learn nothing from what he did, But I also hope he prove's me wrong - and his example will serve as a reminder to all those who drink and drive. Your threats of Legal Action do nothing to me except make me more determined to make sure the Law is changed and Drink Drivers like Jamie are taken off the roads."
Jamie Crozier was sentenced to just 4 years in Prison and given a concurent 5 year Driving Ban - this means he will be released in January 2009 and will only have to serve a 3 year driving ban - as 2 years of his driving ban will have been served whilst he is in prison and actually unable to drive!!!
Whilst Your Family can visit and talk to Jamie whilst he is in Prison, My family has a Life sentence of Grief. Not one member of your family has expressed a single shread of remorse for Jamie's actions, In fact The only time my family have had any correspondence with your family has been when you are crying foul and complaining and threatening us! Jim Crozier went as far as to insult Carl's mother by falsely claiming that Carl was fostered or adopted!!! I think your family has not got a single clue as to the severity of what Jamie did on that night and are so wrapped up in self pity that you have lost sight of exactly who the victims were and still are.
So go ahead, take legal action, I would welcome it. It would mean that everything could come into the open, as we know a lot more about what happened that morning and afterwards, and it would mean that more of the story could come out into the public arena.
I have nothing but contempt for Drink Drivers - and much as you would like it to be glossed over, that also means I have nothing but Contempt for Jamie Crozier." ends
Friday 24th August 2007
Government issue response to Online Petition
The UK Government have responded to the online petition by issuing the following statement:-
"Courts in England and Wales have powers under the Bail Act 1976 which can be used to prevent a person charged with a road traffic offence from driving whilst awaiting trial.
A court may decide to grant bail, but only under certain conditions. This could include a requirement that the defendant should not drive prior to the court hearing. Should a bail condition be broken, the defendant would be liable to immediate arrest. In making its decision, the court must consider all the circumstances of the case that appear to be relevant. It is widely accepted that the courts are in the best position to weigh up all the relevant factors, taking account of prosecution submissions, which in turn are largely based on the recommendations of the police."
In an immediate response, Dave Malcolm from Campaign4Carl and rememberingfergy said:-
"This response from the Prime Minister's office does not surprise me, and it clearly shows that Government have clearly ignored the fundemental issues surounding the campaign.
As we have repeatedly explained to the Government, the issue is not one of whether legislation exsists, it is an issue of whether the current legislation is utilised in a way that makes it effective. Any person who drinks and drives and kills someone does not go to court until the Police have finished their investigation and reccomended a charge be brought. Once they have sobered up, they are released on Bail and are free to leave the Police Station and get behind the wheel of a car - even if they killed someone 24 hours earlier! This Investigation takes many months and the accused driver is free to carry on driving until they go to court. The Police do not apply for an Interim Driving Disqualification - and neither do the CPS. In our case, Jamie Crozier was even free to carry on driving even after he pleaded Guilty - even though he had just finished a previous drink driving ban! The CPS who are supposed to know the Law never bothered to apply for an IDD (Interim Driving Disqualification and claimed to us that Mr Crozier could not be taken off the roads early! What does it take to get the Government to act? We have always said that The Police should have the power to automatically apply for an interim driving disqualification as part of Police Bail conditions but they are not We feel that this is because of Budgetery constraints. We want to know what guidelines the CPS and the Government have issued to Police Forces in regard to I.D.D's , and we want to know why high risk offenders are not being taken off the roads immediately. We want to know why the Government have chosen to ignore the advice of The Institute for Alcohol studies for the past 10 years, and also road safety charities such as CADD and SCARD. We re-itterate our call for compulsary Interim Driving Disqualifications for any driver tested and found to be over the prescribed limit, and we will up the "Ante" until the Government see's Common Sense and introduces legislation to make this happen. We should not have to campaigning for this, the Government are supposed to lead by example, yet again Offender's rights are taking precedence over the rights of innocent people to be protected - and the sooner the Government realise that this issue is not going away and needs sorting, the better"
Sunday 26th August 2007
New memorial page on rememberingfergy
Rememberingfergy is pleased to announce a new memorial page for the familes of those affected by bereavement.
Remembering Gone Too Soon Loved Ones features are designed to enable people to leave messages for loved ones and is open to anyone who has lost a friend or family member.
Dave Malcolm from rememberingfergy said " Dawn contacted me regarding her friends on the Gone too Soon site who were experiencing difficulties in lighting candles for loved ones when the GTS site was not available, and asked if there was anything we could do to help. Piczo offers unlimited bandwith so it was quite easy for me to build a new page to help out those from GTS whenever their site was not available. This page is open to anyone as well so we saw it as another opportunity to open up rememberingfergy to those who visit and make it more interactive - which was one of our founding principles. Even if you've never visited rememberingfergy before, why not light a candle to remember your loved one? It is a permenant reminder of your visit and you can be assured that anything our visitors place on any of the interactive areas here at rememberingfergy will never be removed by us".
Thursday 3rd April 2008
After nearly 6 months, Dave Malcolm has Finally managed to get access to this site again and will be working to bring rememberingfergy up to date over the next couple of weeks. In October 07, Dave's PC suffered a mysterious power surge destroying his PC Hard Drive and internet Router. Nobody from his Phone Company or ISP (Internet Service Provider) could ascertain where this power surge came from except to say that it did not come from them. No faults during the period of the surge were detected, no other electrical appliances in Dave's home were affected by the power surge. The fuses in Dave's PC were undamaged. Nor was any log retrieved from anti Spam or Anti Virus software showing a virus enabled power surge eminating from within the hard drive. Who or why the power surge happened will be left up to those who know about these things, suffice to say, the campaign for justice will go on and despite those within the establishment who would not like to see this campaign succeed, rememberingfergy will continue to flag up those who allow Drink Drivers to carry on driving even once detected.
