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'Rebecca was a beautiful daughter' - parents' tribute
July 16, 2008
The parents of tragic teenager Rebecca Gough, who was killed in a car crash, have paid moving tributes to their daughter's life.
The 16-year-old was killed in February last year after her boyfriend Jamie McDonald crashed his car on the roundabout at the juntcion of Old Wokingham Road and Bracknell Road.
On Monday McDonald, formerly of Oldstead in Bracknell's Crown Wood and now of Laud Close in Reading, was jailed for two years and three months for causing Rebecca's death by dangerous driving.
In a statement released after the sentencing at Reading Crown Court, Mr and Mrs Gough said their only daughter had given meaning and purpose to their lives.
"Rebecca was a beautiful daughter and sister - beautiful in body and beautiful in spirit," they said.
"She shaped our lives and gave them meaning and purpose.
"Funny, caring, considerate and gifted, with a warmth of spirit that made such a positive impact on those who she encountered.
"The loss of Rebecca is with us in every aspect of our lives – from when we wake, to when we sleep and in our sleep.
"It shadows our memories, the present, and steals our future.
"We cannot treasure the time we had, without the sorrow of loss.
"This yearning can never be satisfied and the knowledge of this has to be blocked from the conscious mind in order to function.
"This reality defines our lives and always will.
"We miss Rebecca, our only daughter and sister, more than can be expressed in words."
Mr and Mrs Gough also pleaded for dangerous driving to stop.
"Dangerous driving destroys lives," they said.
"We will carry the burden of our loss for the rest of ours.
"Nine people a day lose their lives on Britain's roads, seventy are seriously injured and countless more sustain minor injuries.
"We urge drivers to consider this before they get behind the wheel. The sad reality is that any of us can be affected by somebody's dangerous driving.
"We have learned this in the most painful way possible.
"Please drive safely."
McDonald, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, admitted one count of causing death by dangerous driving.
During his trial the jury had heard how the 19-year-old had boasted about his dangerous driving on the internet before the crash happened.
Rebecca died of her injuries at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hopsital on February 16, last year, six days after the crash.
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Rest in peace angel eyes, we all miss you xx
16/07/2008 at 10:24 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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