Man jailed for causing double fatal crash
A man who killed two young engineers who were on their way to work in a collision near Littleport in Cambridgeshire has been jailed for five years.
Mitchell Butler-Eldridge from King's Lynn was seen weaving in and out of traffic at high speed on the A10 shortly before he ploughed into an oncoming car.
Andrew Thornewell and Timothy Wildbore both died in the crash at Brandon Creek on the Norfolk / Cambridgeshire border in February.
Timothy Wildbore, 24, lived with his girlfriend of seven years in Victoria Street, Littleport. He attended Herschel Grammar School before completing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham.
He was a project design engineer and worked at R J Herbert Engineering Ltd in Marshland St James, near Wisbech, and had just completed a project at Stanstead Airport.
He loved sailing and rowing and was committed to coaching at the Isle of Ely Rowing Club where he was regarded as an inspirational junior coach. Tim's family donated his boat to the juniors at the club and it has since been named in his memory.
Also in his spare time he used his engineering skills to restore classic cars.
His girlfriend, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "Tim is loved and missed every day.”
Mr Wildbore leaves behind a girlfriend, father, mother and three sisters.
In a statement, Andrew’s father Paul Thornewell said: “Andrew relocated to Cambridgeshire to be with his fiancé and to further his career. He was an award winning undergraduate at Sheffield Hallam University achieving a first class honours and the Sheffield Hallam award in Design Engineering.
“As a Project Design Engineer for R J Herbert Engineering Ltd, he had also just completed a project alongside Tim at Stansted Airport.
“He had a passion for life and was a keen supporter of Gillingham Football Club.
“Andrew was a huge part of our family, a loving, wonderful son, brother and fiancé. This tragic event has shattered and devastated not only our lives but that of our extended families, close friends and colleagues.
“He gave us 28 wonderful and happy years and words cannot express how we all miss him.
“Nothing will ever bring him back and no amount of justice will ever be enough but we hope that lessons will be learned to inform other road users that poor decision making can cause and have catastrophic consequences.
“Our heartfelt thoughts are also with Tim’s family and his partner.”