Heartbroken Wigan family pay tribute to 'loving, caring son' at the end of his inquest

Leo Gradwell, from Platt Bridge, was behind the wheel of a stolen Fiat 500 along with two other teenage boys when it crashed into two vehicles and flipped on its side during a high speed police chase.

An inquest into his death concluded at Bolton Town Hall last week with a narrative verdict which said Leo Gradwell died as the consequence of an un-survivable head injury caused by a road traffic collision, followed by cardiac arrest, leading to a decision to withdraw life support.

Leo’s two fellow passengers in the car were also injured but survived the crash in Ashton Road, Golborne, on October 11, 2019. None of them were wearing seatbelts.

During the two-week inquest, the jury heard evidence from Leo’s mum Kirsty, along with police officers involved in the pursuit and an off-duty nurse, Susan Lane, who administered emergency first-aid at the scene.

Following the conclusion of the inquest, Kirsty Gradwell, 37, has now paid tribute to her son and his “funny, caring ways.” She said: “Losing Leo has been a living hell, it’s a torture I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

"Going through every stage, each one as painful as the last, and I can’t seem to wake up from this nightmare. No child deserves to leave us. Everyone makes mistakes and we live and learn, but Leo never got that chance. I am glad that we were finally able to clear Leo’s name, that he didn’t steal the car and that Leo never had a criminal record. Yes, Leo made a mistake, but Leo should have been able to live and learn. It saddens me to hear some bad comments about Leo; no one knew Leo like I did, like his sisters and brother, friends, and our community did.”

She added: “The whole experience and build up to the inquest has been exhausting, years waiting for answers. All of Leo’s loved ones are affected by the loss of Leo. It’s too quiet. We miss his funny, caring ways. We will always have our precious memories of Leo and they are ours, and no one can touch them. We know the real Leo, a 14-year-old boy, who is missed so much our hearts are forever broken.”

Leo’s older sister Alishia, 20, said: “Leo was a good kid; he was always smiling and telling his funny stories and would always help anyone that he could. He always wore his heart on his sleeve and was such a character to be around.

"He was wrong, but he didn’t deserve to die. No one is perfect: we all make decisions and choices that we are not proud of, but he wasn’t what he has been made out to be by some. He was just a daft, 14-year-old boy who made a very silly decision and paid the ultimate price for it.

"I miss my little brother more than words can describe, and the day he left a piece of me left with him. I will never forget that day, it will be with me the rest of my life.”