Mum took photo of teenage son before first night out 15 minutes before he was killed in hit-and-run

A mum has spoken out after her teenage son was killed by a hit-and-run driver on his first ever night out, just minutes after she took photos of him to document the occasion.

Liam Simpson was just 18-year-olds when he was tragically struck down by reckless driver Daniel Beck, now 34. The teenager was killed almost instantly after suffering “catastrophic” injuries from the crash.

The collision took place just 15 minutes after Liam’s mum Vicky Simpson, 41, had proudly taken a picture of her son, with his fresh haircut and outfit, who was on his way out to celebrate a friend’s 18th birthday. But by the time Ms Simpson had uploaded the picture to Facebook, Liam had already been killed.

The mum-of-five, a support worker from Holywell, Flintshire, North-East Wales, had spent the day getting her son ready for the celebratory night out, including taking him to the barbers and cooking his favourite pasta dinner.

Following the crash, Mr Beck fled the scene and checked into Arrowe Park Hospital, Merseyside, for treatment on his own injuries. He was found three days later and remanded in custody.

Mr Beck pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance at Mold Crown Court in December 2018, and was handed an eight-year jail sentence. The 34-year-old only served four years behind bars and was released on licence in December 2022.

The devastated mum said: “Liam was the kindest soul and loved by everyone. We had the best day before he went out – I cooked his favourite tea, spaghetti Bolognese, to make sure he’d lined his stomach.

“I made sure to get his hair cut and picked out some clothes for him as he mainly had sports clothes. And before he left, I made him stand for some pictures because he looked so lovely.

“Little did I know those would be the last ever pictures of him. As soon as I uploaded them to Facebook, he was already gone.

“Beck will be able to go about, live his life and go back to his family but my baby will never come home.”

Teen told mum ‘don’t worry’ before he was killed

Liam, an avid football fan, had just started playing for Holywell Town F.C, when he was due to go on a night out for his friend Kiran Creedy’s 18th birthday.

The teenager was reluctant to go as he “wasn’t much of a drinker” and had a match on the following day, but after some convincing from his mum and her partner Mike, 38, a bricklayer, Liam decided to join his friends for the night out on 30 September 2017.

Ms Simpson said: “It was hard to let him go on the night out only because I had the usual motherly worries, I never thought that would be the last time I’d see him.

“He’d been reluctant to go because he had a football match the next day but me and my partner Mike had convinced him. We wanted to go have some fun.

“We’re the kind of family who doesn’t leave a room without saying ‘”I love you”’ and the last thing he said to me was “’I love you, mum, don’t worry about me, I’ll see you in the morning”. I never thought that was the last time I’d see him.”

Liam left the house at around 6.30pm that night and by 6.45pm he was run down by Mr Beck at a speed between 59mph to 61mph on a road with a 30mph speed limit. Doctors said the teenager suffered devastating injuries and would have been killed instantly.

Ms Simpson continued: “We had caught wind that something had happened on Well Hill as the road had been blocked off. Mike had tried calling Liam a couple of times but didn’t get through, so he went to the Hill to see what was going on as he sensed that it had something to do with Liam.

“He was escorted back to the house by a police officer, and it was then when he came crashing in saying “’he’s passed away”. I couldn’t believe it because “passed” sounded so formal and surely it couldn’t be about my Liam.

“But when the police officer confirmed it, it was the worst news any parent could receive. That night I laid in Liam’s bed and sobbed all night- I didn’t sleep a wink.”

Ms Simpson had to identify Liam’s body while she was 16 weeks pregnant and said it was a day that will forever “haunt” her.

She said: “That day will haunt me forever. I still have flashbacks and will never be able to unsee his lifeless body on that trolley in the morgue. It was the most horrific thing I have ever had to do.”

Mr Beck was arrested three days later and after refusing to comment he claimed he was driving within the speed limit and had no recollection of running away.

Daniel Beck, then 29, of Y Gerddi, Maes Pennant, Mostyn, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, driving without a licence and without insurance in December 2018. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and banned from driving for an extended period of nine years.

Mr Beck’s barrister Simon Parry said: “He is genuinely and deeply sorry for the damage he has done.”

Ms Simpson was notified through the Ministry of Justice victim contact scheme that Mr Beck was being released on licence the week commencing 12 December 2022, after serving just half of his sentence. If Mr Beck does not adhere to the licence conditions, he can be recalled back to custody.

She said: “It’s devastating. He was on licence when he killed Liam - what’s stopping him taking another precious life? I had Liam when I was 17-years-old, so we had an extremely close bond. He always helped me out with his younger brothers, Jack, 21, Max, 15, Jace, 10 and Owen, four.

“He’s the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing at night. His memory still lives on in all of us and I’m determined to keep talking about him. Beck being released does not mean that he’s forgotten, he never can be.

“I will never stop talking about him because I love him more and more every day. I take comfort in that when I go, he’ll be waiting for me.”