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Farewell to little Jack

00:00, 24 October 2003

THE funeral of six-year-old crash victim Jack Powell will be held at St John’s parish church, Margate, on Monday afternoon.

Jack’s mother and stepfather, Rachel and Richard Turk from Oxfordshire, were certified dead at the scene of the head-on collision at Huntercombe in Oxfordshire on Sunday, September 28. Jack died the following day in hospital.

His sister Emily, aged eight, also from Margate, survived the crash and has been recovering in an Oxfordshire hospital, having undergone major surgery.

The children lived in Margate with their father, Rob, a special needs learning assistant at the Royal School for Deaf Children in the town. They were on their way home from one of their regular visits to their mother and stepfather when the crash happened.

Cards and gifts from classmates and staff have been delivered to Emily’s hospital bedside by Danny Short, head teacher at St Gregory’s Roman Catholic primary school, Margate, where both children were pupils.

Police are still appealing for the occupants of a red Mini involved in the collision to come forward.

Det Insp Rob Mason, of the Thames Valley Police Major Crime Unit, said: “This tragic incident has taken the lives of three people and has left eight-year-old Emily without a mum, brother and stepfather. I appeal to the occupants of the red Mini that was involved in the collision to come forward.

“The family of Rachel, Richard and Jack need to know what happened that day to help them come to terms with the fact that members of their family have been taken away from them forever. I believe that the occupants of this mini have a major part to play in our investigation.

"They would have seen exactly what happened on Gangsdown Hill that Sunday and I believe that ultimately they hold the key to the sequence of events which led to the death of three people.

“This is an extremely serious incident. We have visited a large number of mini owners in response to sightings and suggestions from the public. “We are committed to finding the occupants of the Mini. If you know somebody who owns this type of car and whose behaviour or driving has caused you concern then please contact us.”

Sgt Phillip Standish and Family Liaison Officer Phil Hanham, of Thames Valley Police, will be attending the funeral.

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