The mum of one of the four teenagers who were found dead in a car after a camping trip has called for stricter laws on young drivers.
The bodies of Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Hugo Morris, 18, all from the Shropshire area, were recovered from an overturned Ford Fiesta on the A4085 at Garreg, near Tremadog on 21 November.
The group of friends went on an overnight camping trip to Snowdonia, North Wales.
Advert
Superintendent Owain Llewellyn said: “Police officers attended and located a Ford Fiesta vehicle on its roof, partially submerged in water.
“Tragically, the bodies of four young males were recovered from within the vehicle.
“The families of the missing boys have been informed."
Advert
A week later, Kate Robertson, HM Coroner for North West Wales, stated the provisional cause of their deaths was drowning.
Crystal Owen, 17-year-old Harvey’s mother, said she is in a 'nightmare I could wake up from but I’m not'.
Owen - who runs a cupcake shop with her partner - previously wrote on Facebook: "I just wanted to say I do appreciate people’s kindness but no amount of messages is going to help me overcome this.
"Nothing will make this nightmare go away."
Advert
In a new interview with The Mirror, Owen believes that the teenagers would still be alive if the driver had been more experienced.
"I’ve cried so many tears my eyes are raw," she said.
"As a family we will struggle to ever come to terms with this loss, a life so full of promise cut short.
"I no longer feel I will ever find any contentment or joy in life as there is a huge void that cannot ever be filled.
Advert
"It should have been an uneventful Sunday - I had always been a careful parent, instilling an ethos in my children of not engaging in risky behaviours.
"Harvey sent me a picture of the view from his friend’s grandad’s house, and that was the last contact I will ever have with my son."
Police have not publicly identified who was driving the car.
Advert
The grieving mum has launched a petition, calling for a ban on under 25 drivers who are carrying passengers until a year after passing their test.
"The graduated licensing system could have saved Harvey and his friends and prevented thousands of families from having to suffer this pain,” Owen said.
She will need 100,000 signatures in less than six months for the topic to be debated in parliament.
Local MP Daniel Kawczynski - who is organising a meeting with the Transport Secretary - has backed the petition.
Owen added: “Harvey was the most kind and charismatic boy you could ever meet and I will not stop campaigning, along with other parents, until the law is changed.”
You can take a look at the petition here.
Anish Vij