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Grieving parents' hit-run plea
Nicola Dowling
14/ 4/2008


THE DEVASTATED mother of a man killed by a hit-and-run driver has told how she cannot stop thinking about the moment he suffered the horrific head injuries which ended his life.

John Ryan's body was found at the side of the road in Kingsway, Stretford in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Speaking as part of an appeal for information to help track down the driver, the 28-year-old's mum Ann described him as the `life and soul of the party.'

John had been living in Denmark for the last four or five years and had been staying with his mum in Stretford for a few months before the accident happened.

His father Steve, 58, who is an engineer, had been working away in Saudi Arabia, but returned home after being told of the tragedy.

Mrs Ryan, 56, said: "We are really hurting and empty. John had massive head injuries and I keep visualising the hit and him banging his head.

Conscience

"We miss him so much. Someone needs to do the right thing, if they have a conscience. I know it was a bad night and it had been raining very heavily, maybe someone was going too fast, or they had had a drink or drugs, maybe they didn't have a licence or insurance, I just don't know. We need anyone with information to come forward no matter how insignificant it may seem.

"If the driver knows what they have done, please come forward. If there is a mother out there who has got a son or daughter who came back with a car badly damaged as though it has been involved in an accident, can you please come forward.

"Ring the police, because at the end of the day, you will have to live with this for the rest of your life."

She added: "John was a happy-go-lucky lad. He was the life and soul of the party. If anything was a bit dull people would call for John to liven things up. If he could do someone a good turn, he would. All the girls loved him, he was a lovely lad."

She said her son had been doing casual work in Denmark during his time there.

He attended St Ann's Junior School and then Blessed Thomas Halford RC High School in Altrincham. He has a younger brother called Steve, aged 26.

Mrs Ryan added: "He had gone out with friends to the Moss Trouper in Timperley. His friend Carl put him in a black taxi cab and gave the driver £20 to take him home. From what we can gather the taxi must have dropped him off near to the Stretford Arndale.

"He was wearing combat style clothes because he had been helping a friend out doing a bit of work."

She said her son would not have thought twice about walking from the Arndale to her home in Ponsonby Road, but that the police needed to speak to the taxi driver as he may have vital information.

In a separate and unrelated hit and run accident on Saturday, 50-year-old self employed tradesman Stephen Allen Wills was killed after being knocked off his cycle by a hit and run driver.

Mr Wills, from Hartington Street, Moss Side, died following the smash on Princess Road near to the junction of Bowes Street, Moss Side sometime before 3.35am on Saturday.

Examined

Shortly afterwards police found a VW Golf which had been set on fire in nearby Sutcliffe Close, Fallowfield. It is currently being forensically examined by police.

Today neighbours said Stephen was a friendly man who would help anyone out.

Julia Wheat, 58, said: "He lived here for about ten years. He would speak to and help anybody. He would give people a lift in his van if they needed it. I have been here five years and in all the time I have known him, no-one has had a bad word to say about him. He was self employed, he could do plastering, roofing all sorts of things.

"He would sometimes go out in his van sometimes on his bike. We were only saying the other day that we hadn't seen him in the last few days."

Howard Johnson, 51, added: "He was a good man. He helped people. He helped me when I was locked out once. I had heard someone had been killed on the road when I went to the shops, but I had no idea it was Stephen."

Anyone with information about Mr Wills death is asked to contact police on 0161 856 6108. Anyone with information about Mr Ryan's death is asked to contact 0161 856 8314.

Information on both incidents can be given anonymously by ringing Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.