Leeds man Stephen was killed, along with his companion Hayli Jackson, by a speeding hit and run driver as the two crossed a road in Spain.

The name of the driver, who did not have a valid driving licence, is known, but he disappeared and has never been caught.

The sudden, terrible loss must be horrific for the families, but it has now been compounded by a Spanish police report that says the two victims were the principle cause of the accident – because they failed to wear luminous or reflective clothing in the dark.

Now awareness of road safety is undoubtedly sensible and proper – but common sense seems to have been lost here.

This young couple left a club and crossed the road and for that simple, everyday action they paid with their lives.

Stephen's sister Natalie says that when he died a part of all of his family died too.

Anyone who reads this story will find it hard to accept that there is any fairness in a situation where a speeding driver without a licence who did not even bother to stop can escape justice while his victims are blamed in this way.


In a world of change it is good to see that sometimes we can successfully go back to the way things were.

New figures show that more West Yorkshire patients are able to see their family doctor in the evenings and at weekends.

The Government persuaded GPs to agree to new opening hours following a prolonged row earlier this year with the British Medical Association.

The fact that they were successful is great news for all of us. It is only sensible that surgeries be open outside office hours so that workers can attend without disruption to their jobs.

It seemed that for a while the NHS had lost sight of this basic principle and it is heartening for once to hear that a backwards step has been taken.


Martin House, the children's hospice, is marking 21 years of helping families facing the unbearable and the unthinkable.

The hospice in Boston Spa, near Wetherby, was set up to care for children with terminal illness and to provide much needed support for their families.

More than two decades later its role in the community is beyond measure.

A garden party was held to mark the occasion and was a happy, cheerful day, as the days at Martin House often are.

It is an organisation that helps those bearing a burden so great as to be hard to comprehend, and the love and care given is humbling. Long may it continue.