'˜Our full-of-life Luke was stolen from us'
Emily Jeffrey paid an emotional tribute to her son in court today, as Samuel Morgan was sentenced over the death of the Bognor Regis teenager. Full story here
Mrs Jeffrey said: “Luke was born on December 24, Christmas Eve, 1997. I call that his sunrise.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“Luke was such a happy child, he brought great joy to the whole family.
“On March 11, last year, Luke was stolen from us.
“Since that day, there don’t seem to have been any sunrises for us.
“In the early hours of March 12, when Luke lost his life, at Southampton General Hospital, that was Luke’s sunset.
“Luke won’t have anymore tomorrows, he will never feel the sun on his back again.
“We, Luke’s family, are completely bereft.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLuke was studying to become a fitness instructor at Chichester college and Mrs Jeffrey said it was his ‘true passion’, calling him a ‘dedicated student’.
She said her son was often seen walking around Chichester in a vest or tee-shirt because he didn’t feel the cold.
In a tearful tribute to her son, Mrs Jeffrey said: “Now Luke will never pass his driving test, go on his first lads’ holiday, get married or have children.
“I will never have the pleasure of Luke’s children calling me grandma.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“When Luke was 12 years old we were blessed with another child, Luke’s sister, who is now six.
“From day one Luke was in love and utterly devoted to his little sister, they became inseparable. They were best friends, and the patience and love Luke had for her was boundless.
“She is now an only child, we haven’t only lost Luke, we’ve lost a big part of her too.
“She has asked when she dies that she be buried next to her brother, so they can be together again, because she misses him so much.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMrs Jeffrey said: “The last time I saw Luke alive was for a fleeting moment when he was being transferred from St Richard’s Hospital to Southampton.
“He was surrounded by hospital staff as they wheeled his trolley outside to an awaiting ambulance.
“All I could do is reach out and touch his grey, tiny face and tell him I loved him before he was whisked away.
“It was some five days later we were able to visit him in a mortuary.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdMrs Jeffrey said the family visits her son’s grave every day.
“We all sleep less soundly than we used to,” she said.
“I’m haunted by the pain Luke experienced when he was stabbed on that fateful night, and though he was 18 years old, I wasn’t there to protect him.
“I haven’t come to terms with the reality that I’ll never hear his voice again.
“I’ll never hear him say I love you mum, which he said whenever we spoke.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“We all miss our boy so much, he was so full of life and we haven’t come to terms with the fact that he will never walk through the door, scoop his sister up in a big hug, or join us for a family meal ever again.
“Every second of every day we are crying just a little bit more inside because we won’t ever share anything else with our beautiful boy ever again.
“Everything which we once enjoyed together is now overshadowed by a deep sense of sadness, loss and pain, which will not ever, even for one second, go away.
“We now face a lifetime of feeling this way.
“Luke should be here always, our future as a family has been torn apart.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDon’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.
Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.
1) Make our website your homepage
2) Like our Facebook page
3) Follow us on Twitter
4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.
And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!
Always the first with your local news.
Be part of it.