THE devastated mother of toddler Danny Wake made a heartfelt plea to the driver involved in the crash which killed him to finally come forward as she marked the fifth anniversary of his death today.

On November 4, 2013, the three-year-old lost his life in a hit and run incident that left a community in mourning and a family plunged into grief.

“Dapper Danny” was fatally struck by a vehicle while walking home from Darlington’s town centre with his mother, little brother and young cousin. The driver has never been identified.

A twinkling Christmas tree now stands in a Darlington living room in memory of the child whose death sent shockwaves across the country.

Each year, on the anniversary of the day that would change her life forever, Danny’s mother Kayren Winter erects the tree and remembers her little boy and his love of the festive season.

The Northern Echo:

On Sunday, with Danny’s little brothers Georgie, six, and Roman, four, at her side, Miss Winter decorated it to mark the fifth anniversary of his death and made fresh calls for those responsible to give themselves up.

Describing the impact of losing her son, she said: “I am not the same person I was five years ago, that day changed me forever.

“Little Danny is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing at night, he was my baby and his life was taken far too soon.

“If I was to find out who the driver was, I wouldn’t hate him, all I want is closure – I know as well as everyone that he didn’t set out to take someone’s life, his life will have also changed forever.”

Full of excitement for Christmas, the family had been on their way home from town after picking up an Argos catalogue, with Danny looking forward to choosing presents from it.

An inquest in 2014, which recorded a verdict of accidental death, heard that the child could have lost sight briefly of his mother before he was struck and left fatally injured in Falmer Road. He died from head injuries consistent with being hit and dragged by a vehicle.

A major police investigation found that a 26-second gap in CCTV footage from buses passing the scene missed the moment of collision.

There were no eye witnesses who could say how he came to be in the road.

Officers trawled through thousands of hours of footage and spoke to dozens of people in their quest to find out what happened but five years later, are no closer to identifying the vehicle or driver involved.

 

Meanwhile, his family have struggled to pick up the pieces without the “funny little character” that brought light and laughter to all who loved him. Miss Winter said: “His grandad used to say you’ll never get another one like him. He was just a little boy who loved Toy Story – he’d sit for hours playing with his toys and watching the movie, he was a little angel.

"He’s missed so much by all of his family and those who knew him.”

Police have renewed their appeal for information about Danny’s death.

Detective Superintendent Kevin Weir, who is leading the investigation, said any new information would be acted upon, adding: “Five years on from Danny’s tragic death our thoughts remain with his family.

“Despite a thorough investigation we have not been able to identify the driver of the vehicle that hit Danny.”