Dear All,

Two weeks into the launch of our Crowd-Justice page and, more importantly, since we decided to open up about the position and emotional strain the CPS have placed upon our family, we have:

• Raised funds totalling close to £30k.
• Shared our case across social media to the point it has now been viewed by close to 40,000 individuals.
• Had our case discussed in the Daily Mail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6316985/Husband-wife-33-killed-takes-fight-justice-death-High-Court.html), Liverpool Echo (https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/heartbroken-husband-mum-two-killed-15327061) and BBC News online (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-46022530).
• We were contacted by Radio Merseyside and BBC North West Tonight and aired our story and our simple request for access to information on prime time slots.

I mention the above only because one of our key aims with this page was to raise awareness as to what I believe is the unreasonable but very real power the CPS have to prevent families from fully understanding why they take decisions not to prosecute. And, as importantly, how they come to the decision to discount and mitigate information that could potentially support a case for prosecution. It seems that the CPS may have no real reason (at least in our case) as to why they do not want to share information other than they don’t have to or want to, so they won’t. The balance of power that sits very heavily in favour of this Public Agency over the individual is clearly not fair, or morally right.

The key to achieving all of the above remains You. No one-else. I put together a page and told the parts of our story that we could, but you were the ones to share and support. I have read through each and every comment, several times, and find it sad but not surprising that there are many more individuals out there that have suffered from a lack of transparency by the CPS. But, I also find it hugely encouraging seeing the levels of support we are receiving. As I have said previously, the common factor amongst us all is that regardless of the decision taken, there is absolute agreement that there should be no information left hidden from sight when a decision not to prosecute has been taken. If the individual who has taken a life in the most appalling manner is not made accountable for their actions, then the CPS should be accountable in fully documenting and detailing their reasons why they are not prepared to put that individual in front of a court of law to fully and openly explain and defend their actions.

As many of you will have seen the CPS responded to the media attention by stating they have medical evidence, and that the driver had a condition. I don’t think this Is the time or place to go into detail regarding the reality of our interactions with the CPS, but what I would say is their statement makes the whole decision not to prosecute sound very clear cut. I guess, for the CPS that should be a good thing and mean that the decision to prosecute with what must be clear and mitigating evidence will be an easy one to disclose and explain? Surely with such confidence they should have no concerns about the detail of their review being disclosed to all interested parties, and rather than fighting to prevent access to information they should be looking to disclose information that fully supports their decision? That, quite simply, is what we are looking for at this stage.

With their response the CPS completely missed the point of what we were requesting, with what I believe was another disappointing response and stance. I will repeat what we are looking for: We want accountability, and we want a full review of this case to take place in-front of a judge and jury. But, before that, we simply want answers to all our questions. And we want to see all information that has been referred to throughout by the CPS.

Unfortunately the Crowd-Justice page does not share all your details, and I only have the first name of those who have supported financially. Obviously, I do not have the details of those that have shared our page far and wide. But the same heart-felt thank you applies to you all, and I will continue to provide you all with updates as and when i get them.

This is not something that we will be walking away from. We owe it to Lauren to fight for answers. To fight for the real reasons why Lauren was taken away from her two children that day. Your continued to support is giving us the energy to keep this moving forward.

Love always.

Dave & family xx

Dear All,

It’s been less than a week since we launched our Crowd-Justice page, taking the decision to provide our friends, family and the broader community with an update on the actions and decisions taken since Lauren was stolen from us close to two years ago. We have tried hard to conduct ourselves in a dignified and responsible manner, following all the correct processes and protocols that are put in place. Unfortunately, the same level of respect and understanding is clearly not always given back to families; families who try so hard to simply understand the reasons behind the death of a loved one, and move forward with their lives. 

In less that a week we have exceeded our initial target of £15k. Infact we, or more YOU, achieved that in the first weekend. We are now well on our way to securing £30k which will go some-way to progressing our application for Judicial Review. The response has been phenomenal and it goes without saying just how overwhelmed i am. But, i am not surprised. The support we have received from the very start has been nothing short of special; support from people who know and continue to love Lauren, and people who do not know us but can appreciate the devastating impact this can and does have on families. This support has been on a national level, truly bringing together a common mindset. 

I wondered initially whether this page was the right thing to do, but your comments, contributions and your on-going support in sharing this message far and wide have rid me of that doubt. If there is one thing that we all have in common, it is that regardless of what the decision is, families at the very least deserve to be given answers. Comprehensive answers. Not selected statements and ambiguous responses, but a clear and documented update and rationale showing families how all possibilities have been considered and, where applicable, discounted. When a decision is made, the team behind that should be confident enough in their decision that the provision of supporting information becomes almost irrelevant to them. In-fact, they should be acting in the knowledge that the supporting information does nothing other than backs up that decision, but with the peace of mind that they are supporting families in their understanding and grieving process. Each and every organisation out there when making such significant decisions should be fully documenting the rationale for and against a number of available options. This information should then be shared in a transparent way with all interested parties. The CPS should be no different. 

We want accountability, and we want a full review of this case to take place in-front of a judge and jury. But, before that, we simply want answers to all our questions. And we want to see all information that has been referred to throughout by the CPS. 

Whilst there is no guarantee the judicial review application will result in disclosure, your support is helping to give this challenge as good a chance as possible. We have a great team behind us, a great team who are doing everything they can to show the human side of this request. Contributions aside, our story to date has been shared far and wide. There are other interested parties, and we will see where that leads us, but in the meantime i can’t thank you enough the support you are giving to our family. I am not the best with words, but please don’t ever under-estimate the positive impact even just a couple of words of support can have on a family doing everything to bring justice to the fore. 

I will provide you all with updates as and when i get them.

Love always.

Dave & family xx