Louis Thorold: Parents pay emotional tribute after pensioner acquitted on grounds of insanity

• 'No message, no sympathy, no remorse' - the parents of Louis Thorold on the woman who caused the crash that killed her son

The parents of a five-month-old baby killed in a crash have paid emotional tribute to their son, saying he "knew only love and cuddles" until his death.

Louis Thorold died after a van mounted the pavement on the A10 at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire as he was being walked by his mother in January 2021.

Pensioner Shelagh Robertson, 75, admitted pulling into the path of the van, causing the crash, but was cleared of causing death by careless driving on the grounds of insanity, after jurors were told that she had been suffering from undiagnosed dementia at the time.

Speaking outside court after the verdict, Louis's father Chris Thorold described his son as "the sweetest, happiest, joyful, and most beautiful baby".

"He was perfectly ours. He was our lives; he still is. We love, adore and cherish him," said Mr Thorold.

"Every moment we had with Louis, was so special and we loved every single second.

"Louis knew only love and cuddles before he was killed by Shelagh Robertson; Louis' future and all his potential stolen.

"A life sentence for us, his family, our community, and everyone who hears this story."

The crash seriously injured Rachael Thorold, Louis' mother, who had been pushing him in his pram at the time. She spent 10 days in a coma and was in hospital for four months.

Mr Thorold added: "Why Shelagh Robertson chose to do what she did that day in January we will never know. Despite killing our son and leaving Rachael for dead, we have never heard from her: no message, no sympathy, no remorse.

"Any good person would have simply accepted what they had done, and tried to make amends.

"After 19 months it's sad to observe that this is the state of justice in this country - a system designed to support the criminal, not the victims."

Jurors took seven hours and three minutes to reach what the judge referred to as a "special verdict" of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Earlier in the trial, the jury had been shown dashcam footage from the van which showed the moments leading up to the impact, and Ms Robertson pulling across the van's path as it approached a junction.

Ms Robertson's lawyers said she was suffering from a form of atypical Alzheimer's, and her diagnosis had been slower because of isolation caused by pandemic restrictions.

• Dashcam footage shows the moments leading up to the crash which killed five-month-old Louis Thorold

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