M11 death crash widow's message to jailed driver

She said: "No amount of time in jail will make things right for us as a family. I feel no pity for the driver but I am not seeking revenge."

Speaking minutes after seeing the driver jailed for five years, Mrs Farley said: "Roger was truly my soul-mate, the foundation upon which we built our strength as a family."

She described him as an exceptional father to their sons Ross, 13, and Devin, 16.

"His death has caused devastation to us all."

Egon Boerner admitted at Chelmsford Crown Court causing four deaths by dangerous driving. He ploughed into stationary traffic on the M11 at 54 mph, after driving for several days with inadequate sleep. Roger Farley's Peugeot 206 was the first car he hit.

The Farleys had been married for 20 years. Mrs Farley, a 43-year-old nurse of London Road, said: "We moved to an isolated part of South Africa, where we relied on each other more than most newly-weds.

"I never imagined life without him. Nothing I can say can come close to expressing the magnitude of my loss and sheer loneliness.

"He was an exceptional father and placed the welfare and safety of his family above all else, even sacrificing a promising career in South Africa to return the family to England.

"Roger was always there for the children and could be relied on so much that many of our sons' friends treated him like a father.

"His death has devastated us. The fact that he was taken from me in such an avoidable way, by the reckless abuse of traffic regulations makes it so sad. I am unable to accept this as an 'accident'.

"I want him to be aware of what a happy family we were and if he has a conscience I hope we are his last thoughts as he closes his eyes each night for the rest of his life."

She said she wanted Boerner to know what a happy family they had been.

"If the driver has a wife and children who love him half as much as we loved Roger, I want him to consider how their lives would be affected in the same situation.

"His irresponsibility and blatant disregard for the law has caused the sadness that will be with us for the rest of our lives."

Essex police, investigating the crash last August, which also killed a father and his two children from Croydon, said the eight vehicle pile-up could have been avoided.

Insp Simon Morgan said: "If Boerner had taken adequate rest this would never have occurred and four innocent lives needlessly lost.

"While justice has been seen to be done in the eyes of the law, it is of little consolation for those left behind and a poignant reminder of the dangers of driving while tired."