Says justice finally achieved for her mother Dilys Fouracres

Chiswick resident Dilys Fouracres was on her way to buy groceries when she lost her life in a horrific accident at the bus stop on Chiswick Lane in November 2011.

This week, her daughter, who lived with her in a terraced home nearby, spoke of the trauma since police officers knocked on the door of the terraced home they shared, only yards away from the fatal collision.

"She was very lively and always got the bus to the shops. I'm not sure whether she was heading for Sainsbury or into Richmond but she told me she hadn't decided what she was going to buy for dinner", she said in an interview with ChiswickW4.com

"I thought she had been gone a long time and I was wondering where she was. I did notice the police helicopters at some stage but I didn't know anything. It was about half twelve when the police came and told me what happened."

"I have to say the police officers in question were very kind to me, recognised that I was alone and had suffered a severe shock. They stayed with me until I contacted a friend who arrived an hour later".

Flowers left at the scene of the accident in 2011

A few days later she was called to attend the morgue to identify her mother but was advised by the Coroner's office not to see her as she was so badly injured. In the end , Dilys was identified by her bus pass. "Even in the funeral parlour I could hardly bear to look at her due to her injuries".

Dilys Fouracres was very lively despite her advanced age. She was originally from Wales and worked for many years for the Church of England. The family lived in Shepherd's Bush and when her husband died over ten years ago she and her daughter decided to sell the large house and make a home together in Chiswick. They made friends amongst the local community and Dilys was particularly happy to chat with young mothers and their children along the street.

"She was very active and in good health, an avid reader, she was always going to the library and reading books. She was very interested in politics and financial issues", she says.

Her daughter, who does not wish to be identified, said she took comfort from the many letters and cards that came from neighbours and from the report that local people who were on the scene of the accident stayed with her mother and tried to help out.

One young boy used his mobile to ring the police, another person stayed holding her hand. A woman also rang the local Catholic nursery to ask them to pray.

The police investigation was complex, as it was not a straightforward case. Dilys had been killed when a car travelling along Chiswick Lane swerved to avoid a silver car which drove out from Balfern Grove. She was waiting at the bus stop at around 9 a.m and didnt stand a chance when the car careered along the footpath, into railings and into the bus stop itself. The driver of the silver car did not stop at the scene and a police hunt was launched to track him down.

Mohammed Wadi, (below) originally from Iraq, with an address in Chiswick, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court (27 Sept) to sixteen months imprisonment for causing death by careless driving and fourteen months for perverting the course of justice, to run consecutively.He is to serve a minimum of fifteen months before being released on licence. He was also disqualified from driving for five years with an extended re-test.

Pic of Mr. Wadi courtesy of MPS

She says she has never had an apology from either of the drivers of the cars involved in the fatal accident.

"One thing that has helped has been that the Road Death Investigation Unit, particularly DC Amanda Hawke , DS Jeff Edwards and DC Andy Meikle have kept me informed of progress and always been on hand if I needed them. They have been fantastic. Also neighbours and friends in Chiswick have been very helpful and I cannot thank them enough.

"My mother was a kind, generous and caring person. She lived a blameless life and always abided by and upheld the principles of this democracy and the rule of law which underpins it.

"After such a long time I can only hope that this case will mean that justice is done on behalf of my mother, who can no longer speak for herself."

The scene after the accident

October 3, 2013