THE devastated mother of a man killed after a car ploughed into a crowd on Christmas Day has paid tribute to her “beautiful” son.
Aidan Chapman, 25, sadly passed away from his injuries on New Year’s Eve following the fatal collision on Shaftesbury Avenue in central London.
Officers were called to the crash, which involved four pedestrians, at 12:45am after a Mercedes-Benz E-Class mounted the pavement and ploughed into a crowd.
Aidan’s mother Yasemin Akcajoca, 61, has now spoken out for the first time since the tragedy on Christmas Day.
She said the family had all been together on Christmas Eve with friends who had flown in from Turkey and she had not wanted Aidan to leave.
Revealing how events could have been “so different”, she told Metro: “I did my best as a mother, I just wish I could have protected him. I didn’t want him to go out that night.
“I said “stay in with us”- he was only supposed to be gone two hours, but he has gone forever.”
In the early hours of the morning, at around 4am, she recalled receiving a call from the hospital informing her that her son was in critical condition.
She was then taken by police escort to the hospital, but the young man never regained consciousness.
His heartbroken mother detailed how she held his hand and spoke to him in those last days before he succumbed to his injuries.
Describing him as her “best friend”, Ms Akcajoca said his younger sister, 16, has been left equally devastated by the tragedy.
Aidan also leaves behind a five-year-old son, Connor.
Anthony Gilheaney, 30, of Harlow in Essex, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on December 27 charged with four counts of attempted murder.
He was also charged with causing serious injury by driving whilst disqualified and possessing a knife in a public place, according to court documents.
Gilheaney was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on January 24.
In the aftermath of the incident, Aidan’s parents issued a statement speaking of their “utter devastation”.
They said: “The loss of our beautiful son is a parent’s worst nightmare. We are utterly devastated with the loss of Aidan.
“He enriched everyone’s lives. He was a loving, kind, funny soul and the world is a darker place without him. We, his parents, have lost the best part of ourselves.”
The victim’s next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.
The Met’s Specialist Crime Command is now leading the investigation and Aidan’s death is being treated as a homicide.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said today: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s friends and family at this difficult time.
“My team are continuing to conduct enquiries to establish all the facts surrounding the circumstances, however it has been confirmed as an isolated incident which is not terror-related.
“We would appeal to anyone who holds any CCTV or dash cam or mobile phone footage of the incident to come forward as well as anyone else who might have had contact with the suspect that evening.”
