A beloved son tragically died more than five years after he had his skull reconstructed and suffered brain damage in a fatal high-speed crash.

Theo Cox was just 15 when a speeding car he was a passenger in smashed into a kerb and then a lamppost.

The Renault Clio, driven by 19-year-old Joseph Andrews, was racing a motorbike on Crow Lane, Romford, on May 21, 2012, when the crash took place, killing two other passengers, Havering College students Harry Wood and Gregg Mint, and leaving Theo unable to speak.

Over the subsequent years, Theo was in and out of hospital with his devoted mum, Jayne Williams, 53, by his side throughout, before he finally lost his fight against pneumonia and sepsis in November 2017.

Now, an inquest into Theo's death and the honest words of his mum have revealed the devastating impact the crash had on his life.

Speaking alongside Theo's brother Jack, now 24, at Walthamstow Coroner's Court on Thursday, December 13, Jayne described the moment she arrived at the scene of the horror crash.

Two months after the crash and after Theo's skull removal

'I felt numb'

She said: "I went home and called Jack at ten to eight and told him dinner would be ready in an hour. Shortly after that I got a call from Jack to say that there had been a terrible crash.

"Somehow I managed to remember to turn the cooker and everything off and I had to weave through the traffic to get the the scene.

"When I arrived at the scene of the accident I had already been informed by an officer there had been two fatalities.

"While I was there, I saw Theo's arm hanging off a bed that was being taken into an ambulance.

"We were approached and asked if Jack could identify the deceased. Jack was in a state at the time so I did it.

"I was taken to hospital and and was told Theo was in surgery and had been put in an induced coma because of his injuries."

"When I first saw Theo, he had about 12 monitors around him and a tube down his throat. I felt numb, I didn't feel anything, all of his care was taken out of my hands.

Theo the day after the crash

"The hardest part was knowing your child cannot speak to you."

The inquest heard that at the time of the crash, Andrews' car had been travelling at around 56 miles per hour on a road with a 30mph speed limit.

Police Constable Paul Summerton, giving evidence in front of coroner Nadia Persaud, said: "He failed to negotiate the mini-roundabout, he lost control of the car. It struck a lamppost before rolling on to its roof and sliding to a stop.

"Theo was sitting in the middle of the rear passenger seat."

The court hearing

Andrews was jailed for four and a half years at Basildon Crown Court in 2013 for causing death by dangerous driving and causing grievously bodily harm to Theo.

Theo was still alive when the court proceedings took place.

What is an inquest?

The inquest opened today (Friday, September 29)



An inquest is a limited fact-finding inquiry to establish:

  • Who died;
  • When they died;
  • Where they died;
  • How they died; and




Jayne added: "I went to court and the parents of the two kids that died were also there. The worst thing was the guilt, I felt so much guilt.

"I thought 'why has mine survived, why is mine still alive?'

"I worry that I will get another phone call and have to go through all of this again with my other son Jack.

"Theo was always a good kid, he knew right from wrong. His big dream was to be a Hollywood star, but he would always be a star in my heart.

"I remember him every day and I speak to him every day.

"The stupidity of a young driver has caused so much devastation to many families.

Theo (left) one year before the crash, aged 14

"Young drivers need to think before they put their foot on the pedal.

"It's every parents worst nightmare to lose a child, especially one that hasn't had a chance to live."

Theo was an aspiring actor

At the inquest, Jayne also discussed Theo's character before the crash and how he changed after the accident.

She said: "Theo was very, very quiet. He wasn't very outgoing. He would barely speak to anyone until he was about 12.

"Theo was never noisy, he would rather stay in than go out - he would play Xbox or PS4 and had very few friends that were close to him.

"He was good at school and he never had a bad school report. He was predicted As and was expected to do well after leaving school.

"His big ambition was to be an actor. He got an A* in Drama and French but the crash happened a month before he was leaving school and he didn't get a chance to take some of his exams."

He spent years in and out of hospital

For more than a year after the crash, Theo's health remained poor, the inquest heard, with a chunk of that time spent in a "semi-vegetative state" before an operation in November 2013 at the Royal London Hospital brought about some improvements.

Jayne said: "He was more aware of everything around him then he even started to respond and interact.

"He began to laugh at silly little things, and he began to understand more. If he heard a swear word he would giggle and laugh.

"As he got more used to people, he started to show emotion. As soon as he heard my voice he would smile."

On May 26, 2016, Jayne moved Theo closer to home to The Marillac Care Home on Eagle Way in Warley.

In the 13 months that followed, the court heard how Theo was admitted and discharged from hospital multiple times, including various visits to St Mark's Hospital, a specialist bowel hospital, after showing signs of a distended stomach.

Between July 27 and July 31, 2017, Theo was admitted to Queens Hospital in Romford after vomiting green bile and releasing yellow fluid from his bowel.

Jayne said: "Theo became unresponsive. He never looked my way. He was constantly tired and slept a lot so we became concerned.

"On August 26, he came home with us for a 24-hour visit. I took him to watch a Manchester United match, he was still very ill and the next day he slept until 2pm."

The court herd how over then next three months, up until his death on November 25, Theo was in and out of hospital fighting aspiration pneumonia and sepsis.

His final days

The court heard evidence from Munur Ahmed, from Queens Hospitals's Gastroenterology Department, who said that an end of life care plan was put in place with Jayne's approval.

On November 24, Theo was moved to a quiet side room, where he sadly died at 1.30am the next day.

A statement from Jude Goody, brain injury case manager, was read aloud to the court.

Theo's place of rest, Bentley Crematorium, Brentwood

It read: "I first met Theo in July 2013 when he was undergoing rehabilitation following sustaining injuries in an road traffic accident.

"He had a craniotomy following the accident, where the front part of his skull was removed. He then had a cranioplasty to reconstruct the skull.

"He could not support his head or move all four of his limbs and because of his brain injuries sustained in the accident it was difficult to identify the cause of any of the other medical problems."

After his death, a post mortem was carried out on Theo's body.

'A tragic case'

Pathologist Michael Heath told the court: "Theo was of a normal BMI, 24.7. It was apparent there had been extensive surgery on the body.

"It was apparent that there had been a plate in the skull and that was closely related to the accident."

The cause of death was concluded to be aspiration pneumonia and sepsis due to traumatic injuries.

Mr Heath said: "I do not think that further investigation would change the outcome of Theo's short but tragic life."

Theo was laid to rest at Bentley Crematorium and Cemetery on Ongar Road, Brentwood.

Jayne made a photo board to remember Theo's happiest times

Concluding the inquest as Jayne and Jack watched on, Coroner Nadia Persaud said: "Theo sustained life-threatening and life changing injuries during the crash.

"I have heard all the evidence in this case and i am now able to confirm my conclusion.

"Despite the length of time between the crash and Theo's death, he died of the injuries from the crash.

"This is such a tragic case to have lost someone so young, and I am so sorry that you have had to experience that, can I pass on sympathy to you from the court."