Widow hugs husband's killer, tells him to 'get on with his life'
Published: 2013 February 21 13:46:16 (5395 Views)
A UK widow has hugged the driver who killed her husband and urged him to "get on with his young life".
Patricia Machin's husband Gerrard died after being run over by Brian Williamson, who was convicted of causing death by careless driving, BBC reports.
Mr Machin, 77, was knocked down as he walked near his home in Bournemouth.
On the day Mr Williamson was given a suspended prison sentence, Mrs Machin wrote him a letter of support, then hugged him outside court.
"He's so full of remorse and said he thinks of me every day, as I will think of him," she said.
"I asked him to make a mental promise to me that he'd get on with his young life."
She added: "On the day the accident happened, Brian Williamson and I just were two strangers but joined together in a nightmare."
'Love is everything'
Mr Machin was hit by the car on 2 December 2011 and died nine weeks later.
His widow hopes her example will encourage people to show forgiveness.
"If there can be a message of 'love is everything' then I'm very pleased to say that," she said.
Mr Williamson, 30, from Londonderry in Northern Ireland, was working at Bournemouth Airport at the time of the accident.
He was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on 15 February.
His prison sentence was suspended for 12 months and he was ordered to pay £1,000 costs and banned from driving for two years.
- BBC
Patricia Machin's husband Gerrard died after being run over by Brian Williamson, who was convicted of causing death by careless driving, BBC reports.
Mr Machin, 77, was knocked down as he walked near his home in Bournemouth.
On the day Mr Williamson was given a suspended prison sentence, Mrs Machin wrote him a letter of support, then hugged him outside court.
"He's so full of remorse and said he thinks of me every day, as I will think of him," she said.
"I asked him to make a mental promise to me that he'd get on with his young life."
She added: "On the day the accident happened, Brian Williamson and I just were two strangers but joined together in a nightmare."
'Love is everything'
Mr Machin was hit by the car on 2 December 2011 and died nine weeks later.
His widow hopes her example will encourage people to show forgiveness.
"If there can be a message of 'love is everything' then I'm very pleased to say that," she said.
Mr Williamson, 30, from Londonderry in Northern Ireland, was working at Bournemouth Airport at the time of the accident.
He was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on 15 February.
His prison sentence was suspended for 12 months and he was ordered to pay £1,000 costs and banned from driving for two years.
- BBC
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