A 5-month-old boy, Jake, has been rendered an orphan following the death of his parents who died in a quad bike crash on their honeymoon shortly after their wedding.
Emma and Jonathan Gray, both 25, from Halifax, West Yorks, died in the Maldives in August 2011 after accepting a lift home from the host of a private party, Filip Petre, who survived with minor injuries.
According to Metro UK, Petre was charged with disobedience to order in 2012 but acquitted of all charges in 2013.
Coroner Oliver Longstaff told Halifax Coroners Court on Friday, October 30, 2015 that the “verdict of road traffic collision hardly gives justice to the huge hole left in the lives [the couple] left behind.”
The deceased couple were staying at the Kuredu Island Resort where they attended a private party, hosted by Petre who worked there.
They were the only couple out of three others who accepted the offer of a lift home on a quad bike, but they were unlucky as they couldn’t live to tell the story.
It was learnt that Petre, a trainee guest relations officer, ‘obtained the keys for the quad bike from a security guard’ and the couple agreed to be driven home.
The Grays died on the spot after the bike which was travelling at high speed, crashed into the tree as the driver was trying to negotiate a bend.
Doctors recovered the bodies hours after the driver alerted his brother of the tragice development.
The Crown Prosecution Service has advised that bringing new charges against Petre would not be possible in the UK.
Longstaff said closure for the families affected by sad case had been a long time coming.
He said: “These circumstances can only be described as a tragedy. Their family and friends have been left hanging for many, many years for a conclusion to this tragedy.
“Can I say to you all how very, very sorry I am that you have had to wait for this hearing?
“I was struck by some things Emma’s mother, Susan Oldfield, said as far back as 2012 – that being reminded of these events is a stress every time, and that all she wanted to do was draw a line under all this.”
Jake’s welfare is now of topmost priority for the family according to his grandfather, Rodney Oldfield.
He said: “The past few years have been completely heartbreaking for our families and we are still struggling to come to terms with losing Emma.
“We are focusing all our care and attention on Jake and giving him everything he needs.”
Longstaff concluded: “The love that they had for each other and their son is evident from family statements. I am sure that both families have the welfare of Jake at the centre of their thoughts.
“I hope that as the years roll by and as Jake grows up, they will be comforted by thoughts of their lives and not dwell on their tragic deaths.”
Below are some sad photos of the happy moment the couple shared together with their oly child. (Click on any image to enlarge).
