THE family of hit-and-run victim Andy Mundy do not have his ashes a year after his death – as they are too ashamed to collect them while his funeral bill remains unpaid.
On the anniversary of Mr Mundy’s death his family still owes £1,750 for his funeral and cannot claim the cost against the driver’s insurance as nobody has been prosecuted.
Until now Mr Mundy’s two sons Luke Mundy and Ashley Sawtell have been too angry and upset to speak out.
But they have spoken ahead of the anniversary of their father’s death tomorrow to make a fresh appeal for islanders to speak to police.
Luke, 21, said: “I still live every day in misery with the debt hanging over me as a constant reminder of my father being dead.
“And after a whole year the pain is no less, mainly due to this.
“I need to put this misery behind me and start to consider what to do about a grave or a place for his ashes, which I am too ashamed to collect from the funeral directors due to my outstanding bill.
“I just want this all to end so I can remember and grieve for my father without the feeling of stress and panic of finance every time I think of him.
“He was my best friend and still a relatively young man.”
Luke was waiting for his dad, aged 44, to arrive at a party on Portland but then found out he had been run over and killed on Verne Hill Road.
Afterwards the police seized a car and arrested a man on Portland but the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone.
Ashley, 23, of Dorchester Road, Weymouth, said: “If anybody saw anybody get in a car at around 10 o’clock that night then please speak to the police because it might make a big difference.”
He added: “If anybody knows anything they are just aiding a murderer. In my eyes that’s what they are doing.
“And even if it was not down to them how can they live with themselves? How would they feel if it was their dad and the shoe was on the other foot?
“And how can you mourn when you just feel angry. I can’t think about my dad because every time I think about it I think about that.”
Mr Mundy’s daughter Jasmine, 19, said she doesn’t know where she will pay her respects tomorrow.
She said: “I can’t believe it’s been a whole year and things don’t seem to change. No one has come forward to the police to say anything.
“Tomorrow the only thing I can do is light a candle for him and that’s not really enough.”
The family has paid £250 towards the £2,000 funeral bill so far.
Mr Mundy’s former partner Claire Chapman added: “Andy loved Portland so it would be nice for someone to return that and show some compassion towards him.”
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