Due to her untreated dementia, a pensioner accused of murdering a five-month-old was ruled not guilty by reason of insanity.
Louis Thorold, who was killed when a moving vehicle veered onto the sidewalk and struck his stroller, was the victim of Shelagh Robertson’s alleged death by reckless driving, and the 75-year-old was on trial for this.
During the Covid epidemic, Ms. Robertson’s dementia went unnoticed and untreated, and the jury concluded that this had an impact on her driving.
Louis’s heartbroken parents, who had searched for a child for five years until they finally conceived him via IVF, issued a statement outside court today saying they “must now move ahead” and make sure his memory goes on through their fight to make roads safer for kids.
On January 22, 2021, Ms. Robertson was returning home from Tesco in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire when she veered into the path of an approaching vehicle, according to evidence presented before Cambridge Crown Court.
Louis Thorold, who was five months old at the time of the crash, was struck by the vehicle and died there, sending his mother Rachael Thorold soaring into the air.
Dashcam video from the van was shown for the jury, showing the driver swerving to miss Robertson’s Mazda after it abruptly turned at a crossroads.
The vehicle then struck Mrs. Thorold and the infant who was in the stroller because it had been moving slower than the speed limit, critically injuring her and killing the child.
On January 22, 2021, soon after the collision, Louis was declared dead at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, while Racheal suffered a skull fracture and shattered practically every bone on her right side of the body, including her cheek bone, multiple vertebrae, her pelvis, hip, arm, and leg.
She spent the first 10 days in a coma before slipping in and out of awareness over the next 40.
For a special judgement of not guilty by reason of insanity, the jury, according to Judge Mark Bishop, had to be persuaded that Robertson had dementia at the time and either did not know what she was doing or did not know that it was wrong.
This, according to him, “doesn’t encompass a fleeting inability to focus.”
The defendant, who was seated in the court’s well next to her attorney and a family member, listened to the jury foreperson via a hearing loop and remained expressionless as the jury’s decision was announced after little over seven hours of deliberation.
Chris and Rachael Thorold, Louis’ parents, were sitting in the audience gallery and were shaking their heads as they glanced down at the ground.
Louis Thorold was “the nicest, happiest, cheerful, and most beautiful infant,” Mr. Thorold said in a statement made outside the court.
“He was completely ours.” He still is our life. He was it. We appreciate, cherish, and love him.
Every second we spent with Louis was so unique. We enjoyed every minute of it. Before Shelagh Robertson murdered Louis, he only known love and hugs.
For us, his family, his community, and everyone who hears this tale, Louis’ future and all of his potential have been stolen.
He said that a nonprofit established in Louis’ honour to promote road safety would carry on his memory.
We need to look forward, he remarked.
Louis would not want us to give up or be depressed. Louis will endure. His legacy will be the day when no one will ever have to cope with a youngster dying on a British road.
Even if the Louis Thorold foundation has already accomplished a lot, this is only the beginning.
Our message is straightforward: No kid should pass away on British roadways.
There are methods and technological mechanisms in place to stop all traffic fatalities. But in order to make a difference, they need the leadership and bravery of people we elect.
In his concluding remarks, Robertson’s attorney, James Leonard, said that it was “clear” that his driving “fell below the threshold of a reasonable and competent driver.”
But he said that since Robertson didn’t have a diagnosis at the time, she was “ill-equipped to navigate” the intersection because of her dementia.
Although Ms. Robertson had “a type of dementia” in January 2021, prosecutor David Matthew questioned how severe it was at the time in his closing remarks.
Adam Zeman, a University of Exeter professor of cognitive and behavioural neurology, gave the jury a report on Ms. Robertson.
She had dementia that was “most likely caused by Alzheimer’s disease in a little aberrant form,” according to him.
Prof. Zeman said that Ms. Robertson would have been “very susceptible to misunderstanding at that point, one conceivable effect of which would be to glance in the incorrect direction.”
It’s a challenging intersection for the typical healthy motorist, he said.
According to Prof. Zeman, certain dementias take a while to be identified since the symptoms are so mild.
“The pandemic coincided with the period her difficulties were growing worse, so there would have been less possibilities for face-to-face interaction than there would have been otherwise.”
An MRI scan of the defendant’s brain was displayed to the jury, and according to Prof. Zeman, it revealed “shrinkage” of a portion of the brain related to memory and language.
He said that he would “immediately advise them not to drive” if he had a patient who had the “difficulties” he saw in Ms. Robertson.
“This was a really unfortunate and sad occurrence,” said Detective Sergeant Mark Dollard of the road policing squad. “Our sincere sympathies go out to Louis’ family.”
We conducted a comprehensive and lengthy investigation, but regardless of the outcome, Louis’ family will have to live with this for the rest of their life.
However, it serves as a sharp reminder of how crucial it is for anybody who sits behind the wheel of a car to be knowledgeable about safe driving techniques.
“I would advise anybody who is worried about a family member or friend’s capacity to drive to speak out, share your worries with your loved one, or alternatively talk to your GP who may register your concerns to the DVLA,” the statement reads.
The Louis Thorold Foundation is a nonprofit organisation founded by Mr. and Mrs. Thorold in honour of their son.
By enhancing road safety and requiring drivers over 70 to undergo regular testing, it seeks to end the mortality of children who are crossing the street.