Man's van ramming murder prompts bollards campaign

Sam Wilson, 26, died at the scene in Ilkeston's Market Place

"I don't think Sam would have wanted us just to sit and not do anything. I just feel like we're doing a little bit, and it might not be a lot, but it's helping us."

Loraine Wilson's son Sam was murdered by a man who drove a van into a group of people in the Derbyshire town of Ilkeston in December 2023.

The 26-year-old, who was out for his football team's annual Christmas celebration, suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene in Market Place.

Now his mother and Erewash MP Adam Thompson have gathered nearly 7,000 signatures on a petition calling for bollards to be installed, preventing vehicle access to the spot where her son was killed.

Loraine Wilson says what happened to her son could have been prevented

Dozens of bollards are already in place in Market Square and traffic is completely banned between 10:00 and 16:00, but vehicles are allowed in for access at other times.

The area is framed by pubs and bars with many people gathering in the area in the evenings, especially at weekends.

Loraine says her son was waiting for a taxi when Zac Newman - who the trial judge said was looking for trouble and under the influence of cocaine and alcohol - fetched his work van from a nearby car park and drove it at the group.

Newman was found guilty of Sam's murder at Derby Crown Court in July 2024, and of wounding with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to two other men who were injured by the van.

Traffic is heavily restricted in Ilkeston's Market place but not physically stopped from entering

The petition calls for "anti-vehicle measures... to enhance public safety" because campaigners feel Market Place is "insufficiently pedestrianised".

"It could happen again tomorrow - there's nobody enforcing anything and we're just asking for bollards," Loraine said.

"You know, that van wouldn't be able to get through the Market Place if there was bollards.

"I understand that it's got to go through protocols and things like that but it's not a massive thing to be asking."

Erewash MP Adam Thompson has taken the campaign to Parliament

The campaign attracted the support of Erewash's Labour MP Adam Thompson who helped gather 6,870 signatures on a petition asking for new barriers, which he then presented to the House of Commons.

"It's on the order of 10% of all of the constituents that I represent. That's enormous," he said.

"The fact that the whole town really came together about this was just amazing and it was frankly the work that Loraine and Samuel's family put in to ensure that we got as many signatures as possible."

Derbyshire County Council has written to Thompson in the past to say that installing bollards is "challenging", especially when they need to be raised and lowered at points during each day.

The MP said what he really wanted was a full review of what might be possible.

"What I want them to do is really deeply engage in this," he said. "And I was really sad that, when I wrote to them under both the previous administration and the current one, that I was kind of rebuffed and they just said, 'hey it's too expensive, we're not interested'."

Existing bollards in Ilkeston guide drivers but do not block access

Loraine said she had been moved by the response to her campaign.

"We're overwhelmed and we're just really grateful from the support from the shops and the pubs in Ilkeston, our family and friends and the wider community, it was amazing," she said.

"It just shows that people do want change. And people do feel unsafe."

Charlotte Hill, Derbyshire County Council's cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport, said the authority understood the concerns and was liaising with Thompson.

"While barriers might seem a straightforward measure to prevent vehicle access, they can be problematic for several reasons and a total of 24 barriers would be needed to prevent vehicles accessing Market Place and Bath Street," she said.

"These would need to be lowered and raised manually daily to allow access for those who had a legitimate need.

"But we're always looking for ways to make our communities safer and would welcome further discussions... to look at how the concerns of local people can be addressed."