STOLEN LAPTOP RETURNED TO BEREAVED HUSBAND

Martin Spinelli's wife Sasha, a 40-year-old senior lecturer in English and American literature at the University of Kent, was killed on September 7 when a Scania truck ploughed into the rear of her Nissan Micra while it was parked on the hard shoulder of the M2 in Kent.

Her son Lio, then four, was airlifted to hospital with serious head and leg injuries

Mr Spinelli, of The Course, slowly trying to recover from the tragedy, suffered another major blow early on Friday evening when raiders broke in and stole the priceless laptop.

On special leave as a 39-year-old lecturer in media studies at Sussex University, Mr Spinelli offered a 500 reward for the return of the precious laptop.

And on Tuesday night a taxi driver rang up to say he might have found it.

'My heart leapt when I received the call,' he said. 'The man came round and I immediately recognised it was mine and that it was intact.

'He said he found it on the back seat of his cab on Saturday night. He couldn't remember who he had picked up.

'I am very grateful. I gave the man the reward I had offered. He did not want to give me his name. He then drove off into the night.

'The laptop had obviously been used as it contained new wireless internet software. The battery was also dead.

'The laptop contains the only copies of photos of our last year together as a family.

'It also contains medical contact information and research vital to my son Lio's recovery, such as digital x-rays MRIs from abroad, surveys of possible treatments, and addresses of foreign neurological and orthopaedic consultants.

'It has tremendous personal and medical value for the memory of my wife and for Lio's health.'

A lorry driver involved in the crash was later jailed at Maidstone Crown Court for two-and-a-half years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

Lio, five, is currently an out-patient at Chailey Heritage Clinical Services where he is receiving care for brain damage and a shortened, growth-stunted leg.