Sisters meet drink-driver responsible for causing M6 crash that killed parents

Patricia and David who died in the crash in 2018.

Two sisters took the decision to meet the drink-driver found to be responsible for the death of their parents.

Donna and Vicky’s parents, Patricia and David Howard, were killed in a crash on the M6 near junction 31A on 11 November 2018.

The driver, James Nichol, who was drink-driving, was sentenced to eight years for dangerous driving and has since been released from prison.

However, Donna and Vicky agreed to take part in restorative justice in May 2022 – which means that they met the offender in prison during his sentence.

They said: “I think we all needed that, and I think he needed that as well because you could clearly see that he was sorry.

“We were raised by good people, so to bring that out in there, and remember that this is something mum probably would have done – that’s one of the reasons why we did it.

“We had a lot of hate for so long, and hate is exhausting, its mentally, physically tiring. We’ll never forgive, never ever forgive, but I don’t hate him.”

A meeting between victim and offenders is run by highly trained facilitators and each case is individually considered to see if it is the right thing to do. Donna and Vicky’s story was shared by Lancashire Constabulary to mark Restorative Justice Week 2024.

The scene on the M6 during Sunday evening Pic: Highways England

Helena Cryer, Restorative Justice Manager for Lancashire Constabulary, said: “RJ week is really important for raising awareness of what restorative justice does.

“It can, for the right people and in the right circumstances, be life-changing. We would always encourage anyone who is interested in the RJ procedure to get in contact.”

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