Tragic widow opens her heart about the drunk driver who killed her husband

“I wish someone had the courage to take the car keys from him.”

The heartbroken widow of a man mown down by a drunk driver has spoken of her loss, just days before his killer is to be sentenced.

Dad-of-two Gavin Fulton, 43, died after being hit by an out-of-control car as he walked along the pavement during a Christmas night out in Edinburgh in 2012.

Doctors at nearby Edinburgh Royal Infirmary battled to save the IT manager but he died from horrific internal injuries hours later.

The loving dad hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol that night because he wanted to be up early the next day to take the couple’s daughters to their swimming championships.

Electrician Keith McCardle, 51, from Musselburgh, faces up to 14 years in jail after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving last month. McCardle, who was almost twice the legal limit, lost control of his jeep before mounting the pavement and hitting Gavin.

The court heard how he got out his car and told witnesses: “I killed him. I hit the guy and he’s dead.”

Last night, Gavin’s widow, Jill, 42, spoke exclusively to The Sunday Post and said: “The sudden death of my husband and best friend in the prime of his life has blown my life and our family apart.

“It has been catastrophic and life-changing in every way. I wouldn’t wish what I am going through on my worst enemy.

“No words can truly express the devastation we have all felt at the sudden and horrific way Gavin died. I just wish someone had the courage to take the keys from the man who killed my husband, or someone had alerted the police before he got behind the wheel.”

Jill has been so devastated by Gavin’s death that she has been unable to return to her job as a staff nurse in Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital. Gavin who doted on daughters Mia, 13 and Faye, 11 was so anti drink-driving that he would even refuse to eat a chocolate liqueur before driving.

Jill added: “The ripple effect on our friends and extended family, children and adults alike, has been huge. Gavin was the most wonderful, caring and loving husband, father, brother, son, nephew, uncle, colleague, friend and neighbour. He shouldn’t have died like that a week before Christmas.”

The couple had been married since 1993 and known each other for 25 years.

On the evening he died he had gone to a Christmas night out with former colleagues from computer firm Hewlett Packard and had been thrilled at winning his league at Edinburgh’s Grange Squash Club hours before he joined the bash in the capital.

Now Gill hopes to use her loss to help stamp out drink-driving for good.

“I will accept whatever sentence is handed down on Friday by Lord Doherty but I do appeal for everyone never to drink and drive,” she said. “Have the courage of your convictions and don’t even have one drink.

“The current legal limit is a dangerous relic and zero tolerance will remove any ambiguity both at night and the morning after.”

She also wants a designated driver scheme to be adopted across the country with subsidised or free soft drinks for those taking the wheel.

She is also calling for suspected drink-drivers to have their licences suspended while they are awaiting trial.

“It is torture to think Keith McCardle has been driving about since my husband was killed and perhaps even on the streets where my daughters might be,” Jill added. “Anyone getting into a car when the driver has been drinking must share the blame.

“Please listen to your conscience and remember families like ours. The last time I told my husband that I loved him was in the city mortuary. Please don’t let that happen to you or someone you love.”

Deaths from drink-driving soared by 80 in just a year, say leading road safety charity, Brake. A total of 280 people lost their lives in 2012 because drink-drivers opted not to leave their car at home.

The figures come from the Department of Transport which also reports there were 6,680 accidents linked to alcohol consumption. Brake are furious about the rise from 230 in 2011 the lowest number since records began in 1979.

The charity’s Julie Townsend, said: “Our drink-drive limit is amongst the highest in Europe, and it sends out the dreadful message that a drink or two before driving is acceptable.”

The UK currently has one of the highest limits in Europe at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The Scottish Government has announced that it will bring forward legislation to reduce the limit to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. A similar reduction seems likely to be introduced in Northern Ireland.

Countries with zero tolerance include Russia, Croatia and Greece. Norway and Sweden limit it to 20mg. Germany, Ireland, Holland, France, Denmark, Switzerland and Turkey’s maximum is 50mg.

In Portugal, those between 50mg and 80mg are fined and lose their licence for at least a month. Italy imposes a 51mg limit and it is zero for those with less than three years’ driving experience.