THE mother of a teenager killed in a horrific car crash near Llangollen will lay flowers at the scene on the anniversary of his death.
Johnathan Cassidy-Jones and Dale Williams, both 18 and from Ruabon, were killed when their car left the A542 Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen on January 9 last year.
Paula Jones, Johnathan’s mother, has spoken of a terrible year, including the death of her beloved father on Boxing Day, aged 67, and the conviction of a friend for the theft of two Rolex watches from her home.
She told the Leader: “I lost my little boy and now I’ve lost my dad.
“I still think Johnathan has gone away or has gone off to university – I can’t quite believe he’s gone for good.
“This has been the worst year of my life.”
Johnathan had been driving his Peugeot 206 when the car left the road and landed in a field, an inquest in September heard.
Passenger Thomas Pewtner, now 19, of Stanley Grove, Ruabon, suffered chest injuries and spent three days recovering at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
Mrs Jones, 40, of Overton Road, Ruabon, lost her father Philip Cassidy to lung cancer.
She said: “When Johnathan died his health went downhill anyway. He was a broken man.
“Johnathan was his first grandson and he adored him. They’ll be up there now having a pint.”
And in August Fiona George, 29, pleaded guilty to the theft of two Rolex watches worth £3,000 from the home of Mrs Jones and her husband Nigel, 43.
The mother-of-two from King Street, Wrexham, visited the couple on July 5 and took the watches to sell in order to pay off her debts.
She was given a six-month community order with supervision, and ordered her to pay £85 costs.
Johnathan would have celebrated his 19th birthday on December 18.
His parents and 13-year-old brother James toasted his memory at the Plas Coch restaurant in Wrexham and a headstone was installed on his grave.
Mrs Jones added: “I haven’t been up to the Horseshoe Pass for a while because I just couldn’t face it, but I will on the anniversary.
“We’ll also visit his grave, which is engraved with an image of Tinkerbell, because he liked to think of himself as the boy who never grew up.”
Johnathan, known as Jonty, studied mechanics at Deeside College, while Dale, of Albert Grove, Ruabon, studied forestry at Coleg Llysfasi in Ruthin.
Acting coroner for North East Wales John Gittins recorded a verdict of accidental death on the pair, who were former pupils of Ysgol Rhiwabon.
Denbighshire Council has vowed to slash the speed limit on a treacherous stretch of the Horseshoe Pass from 60mph to 40mph, with signs advising 20mph on some of the bends.