THE family of a mum-of-two who died in a collision at the hands of a Barnsley man feel ‘he has got away with it’ after it was revealed no further action will be taken against him.
In November 2021 Sarah Sands, 33, died on Barnsley Road near Ridgewood School in Scawsby.
Sarah went back to her dad’s house after an evening out and decided to walk home after struggling to get a lift.
She was struck by a Vauxhall Vivaro van - driven by a Barnsley man - on the stretch of road.
Sarah’s dad, Trevor Sands, discovered the ambulance by the road.
Since then, her mum, Derry Cook ,has been ‘fighting for justice’ for her daughter - but feels the latest announcement is unacceptable.
The 58-year-old told the Chronicle: “All we wanted was some sort of justice for Sarah.
“We weren’t wanting for him to be locked up for years and years - we don’t want to ruin someone else’s life.
“All we wanted was for him to hold his hands up and apologise - but we haven’t even had that.
“The police know who he is so he could have apologised through them, he didn’t need to come to us directly.
“We don’t feel like we can get any closure now.”
The after-effects of Sarah’s death are still hitting the family hard.
“No-one can understand why this has happened,” she added.
“Sarah had two children, now 11 and 17, and it’s left them without a mum - it’s so sad.
“She was bubbly, lively and so popular.
“We’ve had a lot of people that have come forward and said that this is disgusting.
“But this is the third time we’ve appealed it so we can’t do it again - we’re absolutely devastated.
“We just feel that he’s got away with it which is an awful thing.
“He’s not just killed our daughter - his actions have killed our whole family.”
In a letter sent to the family and seen by the Chronicle, a CPS spokesperson said: “I have been made aware that your appeal concerning the collision in which Sarah was involved has been finalised and not upheld.
“As there will be no further action, the file has been submitted to the coroner’s office so an inquest can proceed.
“I am sure that this will be disappointing for the family.”
A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson added: “The CPS ruled that there was insufficient evidence to authorise charges in respect of any offences relating to the cause of Sarah Sands’ death, and advised us no further action should be taken.”
