A UTTOXETER woman widowed by a horror road rage attack in Scotland has spoken of her anguish after her husbandʼs killer admitted his murder last week.
Sandra Fleeman said since the death of her husband Mark in June last year she had at times wished she had died too.
She paid tribute to her ‘wonderful family and friends’ who had helped her through the terrible pain of losing her husband who died on the M74 in Larkhall after his van was rammed by notorious Glasgow gang member Paul Lyons.
Mrs Fleeman set off at 4am last Thursday to travel to Glasgow High Court to come face to face with the man accused of killing her husband.
Following Lyons’ confession Mrs Fleeman said in a statement: “Without the help, patience and understanding of my wonderful family and friends and also my family liaison officer, I do not think I would have been able to have got through the past eight-and-a-half months. At times I wished I had died too.
“The five month wait to bury Mark still did not end my anguish, because I then had to wait for the very slow wheels of justice to turn.
“I felt I had to be there in court to see the person responsible for the death of my husband but still the trauma goes on until he is sentenced. When that happens I will only then be able to move on with my life albeit, an empty one without Mark.
“I would like to say that whatever sentence Paul Lyons receives will never compensate for Mark’s senseless death and Lee Allsup’s terrible injuries, but following the sentencing maybe then we will have some sort of closure.” Lyons, 28, downed a cocktail of drink and drugs before causing Mark Fleeman’s van to overturn across the M74 motorway.
Father-of-three Mr Fleeman, 32, of Windsor Road, Uttoxeter, died at the scene of the crash, while 17-year-old Lee Allsup, of Bentley Road, Uttoxeter, spent more than a month in hospital after suffering horrific injuries.
Lyons — banned from the road at the time of the incident — had chased Mr Fleeman, who had gesticulated to him about his manic driving.
The gang member, at whose father’s garage three men were shot, had fled to Spain in the days after the murder but was snared by police at Alicante airport in September.
He admitted the culpable homicide of Mr Fleeman and other charges, including attempting to defeat the ends of justice at Glasgow High Court last week.
The court heard how Lyons had been in his Ford Transit van with friends James Tulloch and Shaun McGuigan on June 4 last year.
He had been in a club in Manchester the previous evening leaving around 2am and was seen taking valium pills, together with beers and a bottle of wine on the return journey north.
Ian McSporran, prosecuting, said Lyons was ‘determined to get back home as early as possible’ and drove at speeds of around 100mph.
Around 4.30am, Lyons and Mr Fleeman came to be on the same stretch of the motorway near Larkhall, Lanarkshire.
Mr Fleeman had been travelling up from Uttoxeter along with colleague Lee Allsup to carry out work as shopfitter’s in Dunfermline.
Mr McSporran said: “The accused’s vehicle came to the attention of Mr Fleeman because of the manner of driving.
Mr Fleeman gesticulated at the accused because of this. It appears that the accused’s response to this gesture is what led to Mr Fleeman’s death.” The court heard that seconds before Lyons rammed the Uttoxeter pair’s van, Mr Fleeman made a desperate 999 call during which the operator could hear ‘sounds of a crash’.
Mr McSporran said: “Mr Fleeman’s van began to fishtail from side to side, went out of control, spun across the carriageway onto a grass embankment near the hard shoulder before overturning several times.” Both Mr Fleeman and Mr Allsup were not wearing seatbelts and were thrown from the van through a door that had come off its runners due to the impact.
The van landed on Mr Fleeman crushing his chest.
Burton College student Lee Allsup, who was in the first year of a motor mechanics course at the Lichfield Street college when the incident happened, had various injuries including internally to his head and also leg.
He required a wheelchair to get around and continues to receive therapy and treatment for a brain injury.
Lyons’ lawyer Tony Graham claimed his client was sorry for what he did.
“It was utterly irresponsible and stupid causing utter devastation to the families involved”, he said.
Lyons also admitted to injuring Mr Allsup ‘to his permanent impairment’ and a charge of dangerous driving. He will be sentenced next month.