Daughter of woman killed by teen driver says she has 'lost her best friend'

The daughter of a woman killed in a crash caused by a teenager has said it is “difficult to imagine a future without her”.

Mary Reeves died following a two-car crash on the A75 between Castle Douglas and Bridge of Dee on May 3, last year.

The 67-year-old from Kirkcudbright was taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, where she later died.

The 19-year-old driver of the Ka and the 16-year-old passenger were seriously injured.

Cameron Benson admitted to causing the death of Ms Reeves after driving carelessly at Dumfries Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old is due to be sentenced next month.

In a statement shared following the court case, Ms Reeve’s daughter, Andrea, described her as “loving and caring”.

She added: “She was kind, gentle, funny, generous, hardworking, and she always put others before herself. She deserves to be remembered for who she was and not by how her life ended.

“I am an only child, so my mum and I were close, and nearly every memory I have involves her – and looking ahead fills me with sadness because her passing has left me without my best friend.

“It is difficult to imagine the future without her, and I now feel desperately lonely.

“Over time, I hope I will be able to look back on these memories and smile, but right now I am still profoundly affected by the grief of mum’s absence.

“I do not wish to comment on the driver or the outcome of the prosecution – I think that will lead me down a negative path, and I’d instead like to focus on what positivity there is and remembering mum.

“Thank you to everyone who has helped me over the last year or so – you’ve really helped in ways I’ll never fully be able to express – but I now request that the media respect my privacy.”