Mother killed by car thief she tried to stop from stealing her MG
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A mother-of-two was knocked over and killed by a thief as she tried to stop him stealing her car.
Lynda Hankey, 42, who had momentarily left the yellow MG with the engine running while she popped back into her home, emerged to find a stranger about to make off with the vehicle.
Instinctively, she ran to the front of the vehicle in a desperate attempt to block the thief’s escape.
But instead of stopping he accelerated, causing the car to strike her with such force that she was thrown onto the windscreen before slumping head-first onto the icy pavement.
Her son Nathaniel, 23, a customer services adviser, paid tribute to his mother on Facebook tribute recalling their final words to each other.
“Rest in peace, Mother. You were my world and you always will be," he said.
“I’m glad I was with you…and that the last words that we said to each other were `I love you`”.
“I’m happy that you didn’t suffer. There is now a hole in my life that can never be filled. Watch over me, mother, I will need it xxx”
Another son, Damian, 20, added: “Rest easy, Mummy. I love you, I miss you, and you were right – you were all I needed.”
Ms Hankey’s partner, Jamie Hudson, 40, and her own five-year-old son, Tyler witnessed the tragedy unfold outside the family’s terraced home in the Worsley Mesnes area of Wigan, Greater Manchester.
Ms Hudson ran into the street to comfort her lover as the joyrider – who is believed to have had an accomplice - drove off at high speed into the gathering gloom.
Paramedics took Ms Hankey to Wigan Infirmary where she died from catastrophic head injuries several hours later.
The incident happened at around 4.30pm on Thursday. Police found the MG abandoned 11 miles away in Leigh at 10am today.
A short time later officers arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
Police have refused to disclose any details about the suspect beyond confirming that he lives within a few miles of Miss Hankey’s home.
They are confident that a forensic examination of the MG will enable them to identify the thief’s accomplice and any other suspects who may have been involved.
Ian Hopkins, an assistant chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, confirmed that the “terrible” attack on Ms Hankey had been witnessed by her loved ones.
“It is my understanding that Lynda had left the car momentarily, returning to the house to pick up the child, and when they came out they saw someone in the driving seat.
“She stood in the road to prevent the car being driven away, but was knocked into the air and suffered very serious injuries.”
Mr Hopkins, who has a team of 30 detectives working on the case, went on: “This is a horribly tragic incident in which a car thief has driven at a woman and left her for dead and it is our absolute priority to have the offender brought to justice.
“Clearly whoever did this is callous and has little regard for human life. We want to hear from anyone who may have seen something or has other information that will help our investigation.”
Ms Hankey, a driver with the parcel company DHL, leaves two grown-up sons, Nathaniel, 23, and Damian, 20.
She and her partner are understood to have moved into their mid-terrace 18 months ago. The house is situated in a cul-de-sac on a sprawling 1960s estate close to Wigan town centre.
Today the Facebook page shared by the two women showed recent photographs of the family playing in snow.
Their welcome message says: “We live together with our kids, Nathan Dai and little Tyler. Very busy household and loud. We're both friendly people and very family orientated.''
By Nigel Bunyan
Mother killed by car thief she tried to stop from stealing her MG - Telegraph
