Family tells of grief in bid to curb joyriding

A MAN whose brother died driving a stolen car has spoken of his family’s heartbreak — as part of a new campaign to stop joyriding.

Trevor Ward and his sister Rachel, from Knocknaheeny, Cork, said they want their family’s tragic story to serve as a warning to young people about the dangers and consequences of joyriding.

Their 20-year-old brother, Ian, died instantly when the stolen car he was driving spun out of control and struck a pole on the Carrigrohane Road just before midnight on Monday, October 5, 1998.

An 18-year-old friend in the vehicle also died while another passenger escaped with minor injuries.

Trevor and Rachel agreed to speak about how Ian’s death affected their family as part of a hard-hitting DVD, No Go, which aims to break the cycle of joyriding.

Trevor said Ian’s tragic death devastated the family and led him into a spiral of addiction.

But he got help and today, the father-of-three runs a thriving Thai-boxing club in the area giving young people the chances he and Ian never had.

“Ian was like any other young fella. He looked after himself, cared for himself and lived life to the full,” he said.

“They went out that night for a spin and thought they’d be back in half an hour.

“I remember my dad burst into my bedroom the next morning just shouting ‘your brother’s dead’. It was a horrible scene, I just didn’t believe it. We still feel the pain every day. It’s still very raw.

“We can’t tell young people what to do. But we can tell them what happened to us, our experience, our tragedy, and that that’s the result of robbing cars, that’s what will happen.”

Trevor said he hopes to get through to young people, especially in his own community.

“If someone from the area who’s been through it speaks out, then I think it will mean more, coming from me,” he said.

The DVD will be screened in the classroom to fourth, fifth and sixth-class primary pupils, and to first, second and third-year second-level students.

As well as interviews with Trevor and Rachel, it features dramatisations of a joyriding incident, and interviews with psychologists and prison officers. Screenings will be followed by presentations from gardaí, outlining the legal consequences of joyriding.

The DVD also provides details on the wide range of options open to young people in the Cork area.

Ógra Chorcaí youth worker John O’Mahony said he hoped the DVD would break the cycle of joyriding and praised Trevor and Rachel for their courage in taking part.

“We hope the message will get through. People who watched the DVD have been left numb at the end of it,” he said.

The DVD was produced by the Knocknaheeny/Hollyhill Car and Motorbike Crime Initiative, in collaboration with FrameWorks Films.

It will be launched by Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe today.