THE son a couple who died in a crash caused by a careless van driver has penned an emotional tribute to them - and spelled out the devastating impact of the tragedy.

Terence Abson, 62, and Georgina Lands, 56, died in March 2021 following a collision in West Tower Street, Carlisle, as they were walking over a pedestrian crossing.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing the van accelerate towards the crossing, though driver Marc Large, 49, was not exceeding the speed limit.

He denied any wrongdoing but after a Carlisle Crown Court trial he was convicted of two counts of causing the couple’s death by careless driving. He was jailed for 18 months.

After the case, the couple’s son Vincent Harley Abson, from Harraby, agreed to the release of victim impact statements, which courts and judges use to assess the effects of an offence.

In his statement, Mr Abson described his father as a “kind and jolly man, with a near iron will.”

He said Terence Abson was nearly always happy with a “mischievous” smile, a man who loved to joke while being friendly to all.

Mr Abson said: “Dad was always willing to listen when needed and offer up whatever advice he could, be it from personal experience from his many years as a roadie, a Navy man, and technical know-how from years of tinkering with and fixing everything from phone screens to car engines, to just plain common sense.”

He and father loved to spend time together, walking and talking, or simply stargazing, with Terence identifying the constellations.

“He was the best father anyone could ask for,” said Mr Abson.

Describing Miss Lands, he said: “My mother was loving, wilful, creative and rather imaginative. When I was younger, she would create her own bedtime stories to tell me, and others when there was a sleepover with our neighbours at the time.

"She’d make sequels to the ones we really liked and would do her best to involve us in the stories.”

Miss Lands loved arts and crafts, and also ran marathons, jogging up to 30 miles just for the joy of running. “In my youth, she was a helper at the school’s breakfast club,” continued the statement.

“Later, she became a helper at the Buddhist Centre; she loved being a part of the community, having a group she could talk with, and jobs she could do to keep herself busy.

“Mum always tried to make sure that whatever we were doing was not only fun but also interesting. Many Christmases turned into mini treasure hunts…

"Her generosity was unbounded; she was somebody who you could be comfortable with. There was nothing I didn’t feel I could tell her.”

The statement added: “This incident has naturally been the worst and hardest time of my life and probably will remain as such until the time I depart myself… I cannot imagine what could be worse. I’ve lost my parents, my best friends, my confidants and, in large parts, my ambition and motivation.

“So much of my life revolved around them.”

A motorcycle trader, of Gleneagles Road, Sunderland, Large will be released on licence at the half way point of his 18-month sentence, at which point he will begin serving a two year driving ban.