By 
THE mother of a young Beragh man who died on the M1 near Dungannon in 2018 has vowed to continue her fight for justice, saying those responsible for her son’s death must be held accountable.
Last week, Coroner Louisa Fee referred the death of 22-year-old Darryl Thompson to the Director of Public Prosecutions following the conclusion of an inquest.
The inquest found that Mr Thompson died from head and neck injuries after being ‘punched and pushed’ onto the motorway.
The coroner said it was more likely than not that Mr Thompson did not enter the motorway voluntarily, and had instead been involved in an altercation on the hard shoulder.
Speaking on the latest episode of the WAT’s The Story podcast, Darryl’s mother, Edwina Thompson-Clarke, said she would ‘never forgive’ the man identified during the inquest as having been involved in the altercation.
“The people Darryl was with didn’t even ring emergency services,” she added. “They told others he was fine and to go back to their cars. I will never understand how anyone could do that.”
Edwina said the inquest had finally brought truth about Darryl’s final moments after years of what she described as lies.
“The truth only emerged because of evidence given by Kellie Keenan, who said she saw Darryl being punched and pushed. Now I want to see someone held accountable for taking my son’s life.”
Edwina also said the impact of her son’s death had affected the entire family. “For years after Darryl was killed I wasn’t even in the right place to be a mummy to my children,” she said.
On the night her son was killed, Mrs Thompson-Clarke was at home enjoying a normal Saturday evening. After hearing about the collision, she travelled up the M1 in a desperate attempt to see him.
“I eventually got to see Darryl. His blue eyes were always shining bright, but when I saw him on the road that night, they were dark. The light had gone out,” she said.
Edwina said the past seven years have been ‘extremely tough’ but she hopes the conclusion of the inquest and any possible trial will ‘bring Darryl peace’.
“My thoughts often turn to what Darryl would be doing now. I think he would be driving a digger for Kenny Mills. He loved his job, the digger and being out doing silage – that’s what he spent his holidays doing,” she reflected.
“Possibly he’d still be with Megan and have a family. My other son Jack has a great resemblance to Darryl. He plays all the songs Darryl used to play. When he’s in the car, he plays them on his phone and I hear them coming up the hall.
“My home was like a youth hostel when Darryl and his friends came home from a night out. We heard at the inquest how Darryl said three or four times that he wanted to go home. It’s at home where I feel closest to him now.”
In the years since, Edwina has kept in touch with the young people who were in the car that struck her son and sat with them on the final day of the inquest last week. She thanked them for the assistance they gave that night.
In a statement issued following the inquest, the Public Prosecution Service said it understood the coroner intended to make a referral.
“When the coroner’s referral is received it will be carefully reviewed to determine if any further investigative steps are required before a decision on prosecution is taken,” the statement said.
“We will keep the family informed of progress in this regard.”
A special ‘Drive for Darryl’ charity event will take place on Sunday, February 8 – what would have been Darryl Thompson’s 30th birthday.
The commemorative drive follows the recent inquest findings into his death and will raise funds for The Katie Trust, which has supported the Thompson family in recent years, including with costs associated with the inquest.
The event will begin at Omagh Mart, with registration from 11.30am and the drive setting off at 1pm, before travelling to Canavan’s of Garvaghey for music and a raffle. Entry is £20 and a large turnout is expected.
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