DON'T LET MY, DAVID DIE IN VAIN; Mum's drink-drive plea after son's pal admits causing death in crash.

Byline: ELWYN ROBERTS

A HEARTBROKEN mum whose son was killed by a drink-driver said her life had been totally destroyed by the tragedy.

Lynn Foulkes said she could not believe she would never see her fun-loving son David again, and pleaded with other young people not to get into a car if they knew the driver had been drinking.

"I don't want my son's death to be in vain," she said.

Driver Martin Bielicky, 29, was three times the drink-drive limit when his Rover MG2T car crashed into a wall, struck a telegraph pole and hit a tree at Glynne Way in Hawarden in the early hours of August 2. David Foulkes, 23, of Mancot, was in the passenger seat and died.

Mrs Foulkes said: "This could and should have been avoided. Martin was supposed to be his friend."

Yesterday, Bielicky, a Slovak national of Green Lane in Shotton, was jailed for six years and banned from driving for eight years after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

Outside court, Mrs Foulkes said:"People go out and have a good time and don't think of the dangers," she said.

"With Christmas approaching, I don't want anyone to drink and drive again. I don't want any other family to go through this. Because of someone else's mistake my son is no longer here, I will never see him again."

In court, Mr Justice Lloyd Jones told Bielicky but for his guilty plea he'd have received a nine-year prison sentence.

"You killed your friend David Foulkes and you bear responsibility for the tragic waste of a life," the judge told him. Ian Evans, prosecuting, said at about 4.45am on August 2 neighbours in GlynneWay, Hawarden, were woken by a loud bang.

They found Bielicky still in the driving seat of the crashed car with Mr Foulkes slumped across him. There was a strong smell of alcohol in the vehicle.

At 8.45am Bielicky was found to have an alcohol reading of 184 milligrammes, compared to the legal limit of 80. But a back calculation showed it would have been between 220 and 270 at the time of the accident.

Bielicky, who had been a driver for 11 years and working in the UK for four years, was said by defending barrister Andrew Green to be profoundly sorry.

Mrs Foulkes said last night David was liked by everyone and it was only the support of his real friends that helped her cope with life.

He was a keen sportsman and particularly loved football.

"Everyone adored him," she said.

He took great care of her, his brother Mark and sister Hayley who lived in Bournemouth.

He and Hayley used to speak every day on the phone.

Mark also found it very difficult to cope and would not talk about it or go to the cemetery.

David thought the world of his nephew, Mark's son, and was looking forward to being an uncle to his sister's child.

"Our lives have been totally destroyed by this tragedy," she said.

She said: "He should never have driven the car and never have allowed my son to enter as a passenger. Martin broke my trust to get David home safe."

. A memorial cup competition is to be held by the local football league on Deeside in memory of David Foulkes - and the proceeds will go towards a drink-driving campaign.

Mrs Foulkes said that programmes would be sold at pounds 3 each and the money raised would go towards CADD, the campaign against drink driving.

The organisation provides support for the families of victims killed and injured by drunk or drugged motorists.

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Lynn Foulkes, pictured holding a photo of son David who was killed by a drink-driver Picture: ANDREW PRICE