Honour for officers who keep crash victim's memory alive

One moment, their smart, talented 16-year-old daughter had been walking to ballet class a mile from their home in Enfield. The next, she was hit by a Mercedes that mounted the pavement and dragged her to her death.

More incomprehension was to follow at the Old Bailey when the motorist, found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, was not jailed but fined £2,000 plus £1,825 costs and banned for five years.

Mr Galli-Atkinson, 62, and Giulietta, 61, started fighting for tougher sentencing of criminal drivers. In the decade since Livia's death, on 12 January 1998, they have taken the Attorney General to a judicial review, turned to the European Court of Human Rights, and helped improve the situation for other road crash victims and their families.

The biggest hurdle to overcome, said the couple, was the attitude that crash fatalities were "not real homicides".

To counter this, they set up The Livia Award for Professionalism and Service to Justice, which honours police who track down criminal drivers and help victims and their families. The 10th annual award ceremony will be held in the House of Commons today.

Mr Galli-Atkinson said: "We wanted Livia's wasted young life to stand for a change in the way road deaths are viewed, and it is gratifying that there have been tremendous changes in the response of police. When a fatality or injury occurs, the duty of a road traffic officer is to bring the appropriate charge and keep the family informed and confident their case is in safe hands. Whereas it used to be treated lackadaisically, today officers are more investigative, better at protecting the crime scene, and brilliant at liaising with bereaved families."

The family welcomes the new category of charge, enforced from last month, of death by careless driving, which carries up to five years in prison. Previously, if death was caused by careless rather than dangerous driving, the maximum punishment was a £2,500 fine. But they argue the law is still too lenient: "We believe there should be a minimum mandatory two-year sentence plus a lifetime driving ban where a driver causes the death of another. Remorse should not be a mitigating factor," said Mr Galli-Atkinson.

His wife told how every day was a struggle to "stay positive". She still has nightmares, cannot sleep without medication, and bookends each day with a visit to her daughter's grave and by writing "dear Livia" entries in her diary. A public garden has been created in Livia's memory in Windmill Hill, near the accident site.

"I believe people live as long as you remember them and we make Livia an integral part of our lives," said Mrs Galli-Atkinson. Speaking in her living room - decorated with photos of Livia and her sister, Bianca now 30 - she broke down as she described the day of the accident.

"We were waiting for Livia to return from ballet before sitting down to dinner. When she didn't come, George went to the ballet school but called to say he couldn't find her, so I went down and saw that there had been an accident. There was a police cordon and when I tried to cross, explaining that I was looking for my daughter, the officer asked, 'Who is your daughter?' I replied, 'Her name is Livia, she was in her ballet kit. Has this anything to do with her?'

"'Yes,' he said, 'She's dead.'"

A policeman would later describe the mother's screams as "the most distressing response" he had ever heard.

Local dentist Sudhaker Sehgal, then 60, was convicted of causing Livia's death, and for five years the Galli-Atkinsons waged their legal battle. Giulietta gave up her administrative job at Guy's Hospital to campaign full-time, and George, an engineer, switched careers to study law.They represented themselves, and although appeals in the High Court and European Court of Human Rights failed, Mrs Galli-Atkinson won a civil action in 2003 when she sued Seghal for psychiatric injury and was awarded £90,000.

"People ask, 'Why don't you move on?'" Mr Galli-Atkinson said. "I tell them we have: we haven't gone mad, got divorced or turned to drink. But we're not going to deny the absence of Livia, or that things will never be the same again."

His wife said: "The award is our way of keeping our daughter's memory alive. Our pain never goes away. But we feel overcome with gratitude that such professionalism and compassion can be championed in Livia's name."

Dedicated, diligent, caring ... this year's nominations

Winner

Pc Peter Barnes

Collision Investigation Unit, Catford

Pc Barnes brought to justice the hit-and-run driver of a stolen Mercedes who left a motorist with life-threatening injuries.

He tracked the stolen car to Kent, found CCTV footage, then pursued witnesses. It led to the suspect being pointed out in an identity parade and sentenced to two years in prison for dangerous driving.

Pc Barnes also showed "dedication beyond the call of duty" in the case of an 11-year-old boy knocked down on a pedestrian crossing and dragged 80 metres. The boy broke his jaw, collarbone and ribs and lost two fingers.

Pc Barnes supported the family and arranged counselling for the victim. Pc Barnes joined the Met in 1991.

Runner-up

Ds David Hindmarsh

Collision Investigation Unit, Euston

Detective Sergeant Hindmarsh arrested a driver who mounted a pavement in Regent Street, hitting six pedestrians. The driver refused took the drug crystal meth after the crash. Ds Hindmarsh spoke to 45 witnesses and gathered evidence for charges of grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving. He contacted victims' insurance firms, drove them from Yorkshire to the hearing in London, and arranged funding for an overnight stay. The driver was jailed for four years.

Nominees

Ps Kevin McKeown

Secured the conviction of the son of a wealthy Russian after a fatal crash.

Pc Simon Peachey

Helped 13 families bereaved by road deaths in the last four years.

Ds Abigail Lambkin

Brought to justice the hit-and-run driver of a hire vehicle who killed a cyclist then lied about the accident.

Ps Paul Sanders

Secured the conviction of two teenagers who caused the death of a 19-month-old.

Pc Paul Watson

Was family liaison officer in a traumatic and complex case in which a suspect lost a child and a pedestrian was killed.

Pc Steven Gilbert

Brought to justice a driver who left a motorbike policeman in a wheelchair.