The devastated mother of a two-year-old girl killed by a jealous driver texting his girlfriend has furiously hit out at the pointlessness of her ‘angel’ daughter’s death.
Sara Edwards railed at the ‘petty and entirely avoidable circumstances’ that led to the death of toddler Harlow, after reckless driver Luke Pirie mounted the pavement in his rush to confront his girlfriend.
The youngster had been walking hand in hand with her elder sister and brother when Pirie spun out of control and hit the siblings in October last year.
Speaking out after he was sentenced to six years in prison, Mrs Edwards said her family had been condemned to a ‘life sentence’ of grief.
She said she hoped the ‘beautiful face’ of her youngest daughter would make people stop and think before using their phones while driving.
Mrs Edwards spoke as new pictures of Harlow emerged, showing a beaming, carefree toddler surrounded by her close family.
Sara Edwards, the devastated mother of two-year-old Harlow (above) killed by a jealous driver texting his girlfriend, has furiously hit out at the pointlessness of her ‘angel’ daughter’s death. New pictures of Harlow have emerged, showing a beaming, carefree toddler
Mrs Edwards railed at the ‘petty and entirely avoidable circumstances’ that led to the death of toddler Harlow, after reckless driver Luke Pirie mounted the pavement in his rush to confront his girlfriend
The youngster had been walking hand in hand with her elder sister Dionne (above) and brother when Pirie spun out of control and hit the siblings in October last year
Dionne, who was also struck by the car and spent three months in a wheelchair after being thrown over a wall, described Harlow as her ‘wee twinnie’ and posted pictures of the pair posing jokily together (above)
Her elder sister Dionne, who was also struck by the car and spent three months in a wheelchair after being thrown over a wall, described Harlow as her ‘wee twinnie’ and posted pictures of the pair posing jokily together.
In a haunting online post of Harlow grinning at the camera, her mother had written: ‘Looking at this wee face today and realising how lucky I am… Life is precious and should never be taken for granted.’
Harlow died instantly and her sister Dionne, 17, and brother Leon, six were hurt, when jealous Pirie lost control of his car in Coupar Angus last year.
The 23-year-old driver had been speeding to confront his girlfriend over allegations she had cheated on him and had been sending her ‘angry’ texts when he hit a turning Citroen car and spun out of control, hitting Harlow at 50 miles per hour, a court heard.
Dionne and Leon were thrown over a wall, with Dionne being thrown 30 ft in the air.
Ms Edwards said: ‘Over the last year, we as a family have had to live through something that no family should.
‘Today we are relieved that justice has finally been done for our three children who were effected [sic] that terrible day.’
Speaking out after Luke Pirie (above) was sentenced to six years in prison, Mrs Edwards said her family had been condemned to a ‘life sentence’ of grief
Harlow died instantly and her sister Dionne, 17, (above) and brother Leon, six were hurt, when jealous Pirie lost control of his car in Coupar Angus last year
Mrs Edwards said she hoped the ‘beautiful face’ of her youngest daughter would make people stop and think before using their phones while driving.
Pirie, 23, had been speeding to confront his girlfriend over allegations she had cheated on him and had been sending her ‘angry’ texts when he hit a turning Citroen car and spun out of control, hitting Harlow at 50 miles per hour
The 36-year-old mother-of-three continued: ‘Although we are glad that a custodial sentence has been given, we would like to say that this in no way matches the life sentences that we are now living, as we forever grieve the life denied to our precious Harlow.
‘Finding out that we lost our little angel under such petty and entirely avoidable circumstances has only added to our devastation.
‘And we can only hope how that our baby girl’s face will serve as a reminder of the responsibilities that comes [sic] with getting behind the wheel of a car and also the dangers of speeding and distractions, to drivers, passengers and also the person on the other end of the phone who continues to communicate with someone they know is driving.’
Harlow’s family have set up a charity in her memory, to help bereaved parents with support for the cost of funerals and headstones, called Harlow’s Helping Hand.
Ms Edwards added: ‘As a family going forward, we would now like to concentrate on honouring the absolute love and never ending joy our darling baby girl brought into our lives through the charity created in her name, Harlow’s Helping Hand.’
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how little Harlow was walking along the pavement in Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross, with her brother Leon and sister Dionne, when she was struck by Pirie’s Ford Focus.
Pirie, who worked at Perth’s Scone Airport, admitted killing the toddler by dangerous driving and causing serious injury to the others. He was jailed for six years and banned from driving for seven years
In a haunting online post of Harlow grinning at the camera, her mother had written: ‘Looking at this wee face today and realising how lucky I am… Life is precious and should never be taken for granted’
Ms Edwards said: ‘Although we are glad that a custodial sentence has been given, we would like to say that this in no way matches the life sentences that we are now living, as we forever grieve the life denied to our precious Harlow’ (above)
She added: ‘We can only hope how that our baby girl’s face will serve as a reminder of … the dangers of speeding and distractions, to drivers, passengers and also the person on the other end of the phone’
Harlow’s family have set up a charity in her memory, to help bereaved parents with support for the cost of funerals and headstones, called Harlow’s Helping Hand
Mrs Edwards (above with her husband and Harlow’s father) said the family would now focus on the charity
![In a recent post online, Dionne, a Dundee University student wrote a tribute to Harlow: ¿My wee teeny has been on my timehop so much recently n [and] it has made me remember... just how much I miss her! ¿My best friend, the most beautiful, kind baby ever'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/10/05/12/450E52E200000578-0-image-m-21_1507201846436.jpg)
In a recent post online, Dionne, a Dundee University student wrote a tribute to Harlow: ‘My wee teeny has been on my timehop so much recently n [and] it has made me remember… just how much I miss her! ‘My best friend, the most beautiful, kind baby ever’
Pirie had, who had had been using his phone to contact girlfriend Heater Eaton, whom he suspected had been unfaithful, mounted the pavement after colliding with another car and hitting all three children – killing Harlow instantly and throwing the others over a roadside wall.
Sister Dionne, now 18, suffered bleeding to the brain and a spinal fracture which left confined to a wheelchair. Brother Leon suffered a skull fracture and permanent scarring in the crash.
The sisters can be seen sitting next to each other in heart-rending pictures on her Facebook page.
In her own tribute to her little sister the Dundee University student said how much she missed Harlow.
She wrote on Facebook last month: ‘My wee teeny [Harlow] has been on my timehop so much recently n [and] it has made me remember just how close we were and how amazing our bond is – also just how much I miss her!
‘My best friend, the most beautiful, kind baby ever.
‘I’m just so glad 11 months on we have our charity set up in memory of her something that couldn’t better represent her little life and the kind of person she was becoming.
‘Now she will continue to touch the lives of others for a long time to come.’
Pirie, who worked at Perth’s Scone Airport, admitted killing the toddler by dangerous driving and causing serious injury to the others. He was jailed for six years and banned from driving for seven years.