'This isn't a sob story about me but every driver should hear it'

ALLAN Bradford continues to “dread” coming home to an empty house, cooking for himself and going to bed alone without his beloved wife.

- LUCY JOHN

Catherine, 52, was out jogging along High Street in Dowlais on September 19, 2022, when Alex Rickwood lost control of an MG ZR car he was uninsured to drive, mounted the pavement, and killed her.

As reported in last Tuesday's Echo, according to witnesses the car reached speeds of 50-60mph, before the killer lost control of it on a sweeping bend at the brow of the hill, over-corrected his error and smashed into a lamppost.

Now, Catherine’s husband Allan is speaking out in hope that the tragedy will serve as a warning to other “senseless” motorists.

Rickwood, of Wern Isaf in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court last Monday to five years and five months in prison, having previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving with no insurance while using a fraudulent trade plate.

The 32-year-old was also disqualified from driving for more than seven years.

It was heard that hobbyist mechanic Rickwood - who also worked at the Ford dealership in Merthyr Tydfil - took his friend’s car to get new petrol because it had been misfiring.

After stopping at the Esso garage in Penydarren, Rickwood drove off and accelerated up a hill to “test” the engine.

It was only after the crash that Rickwood realised he had hit and killed Catherine, who was just “30 yards” into her run after Allan dropped her off.

Almost three years on from that traumatic day, Allan has opened up about his life since.

He said that, although it is still incredibly painful for him to talk about what happened, he is doing so in the hope that it encourages people to drive safely

“This isn’t a sob story about me,” he said.

“The reason I want to speak out and share this is so that hopefully at least one of these people notices and gets some understanding of how it changes so many lives.

“That's the only positive we can get out of this.”