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(CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump’s hunt for a new FBI director is being complicated by the need to find someone who has a clear path to confirmation — and who will appeal to the MAGA base. After reports that former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, who once served as an FBI special agent, was a top contender for the job, Trump’s inner circle and transition team were inundated – publicly and privately – with pushback. By Friday morning, Dan Scavino – Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff – appeared to seal his fate: “Just spoke to President Trump regarding Mike Rogers going to the FBI. It’s not happening — In his own words, ‘I have never even given it a thought.’ Not happening.” The dustup surrounding a potential Rogers pick highlights the conundrum Trump faces as he searches for a suitable replacement for FBI Director Christopher Wray, who still has three years left in his term but whom Trump has previously vowed to fire. The president-elect needs someone palatable enough to Republicans in the Senate, who have signaled they won’t forfeit their duty to vet, advise and consent on Trump’s picks. But he also wants an FBI director who will both insulate him from investigation and appease calls from the base to revamp the bureau. Trump’s right-wing allies were already smarting from former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s decision to drop out of the fight to become the next attorney general as it became clear he would not have the GOP support necessary for confirmation. Trump’s replacement pick, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, wasn’t a non-starter for those on Trump’s right flank. But some Trump allies lamented that she doesn’t have the brash political instinct or zeal for overhauling the Justice Department that they saw in Gaetz. Sources told CNN there are several names still under consideration for FBI director, including Kash Patel, a right-wing firebrand who served as an adviser on the National Security Council and chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense in the first Trump administration. Some of Trump’s most loyal and vocal allies — including Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk — have voiced support for Patel. Also in the mix: former St. Louis US Attorney Jeff Jensen and former Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah. Trump’s team is also open to considering new candidates, a source familiar with the situation said. One possible option remains picking someone easier to confirm for the top job, and then Trump can install his loyalist Patel as deputy director, a job that for years has been filled by a career FBI agent and not a political appointee. The very talk of removing Wray, whom Trump appointed in 2017 after firing the previous director, shows how much Trump is dispensing with norms. In the wake of Watergate and excesses under J. Edgar Hoover, the first FBI director, Congress made the FBI director job a 10-year appointment as a way to insulate the post from politics. Chaffetz declined to comment. Jensen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Patel did not respond to request for comment. As for Rogers, who lost a bid for US Senate in Michigan earlier this month, he was spotted at Mar-a-Lago last week, and some GOP senators were pushing for him to be the pick, arguing he would be easy to confirm and has the experience to do to the job. But an anti-Rogers campaign had also been ramping up for the past week, and it boiled over after CNN and others reported on him as a contender for the job. On Thursday evening, former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe – reviled by Trump and many of his allies – endorsed the potential pick on air. “I think Mike Rogers is a totally reasonable, logical selection for FBI director,” McCabe said on CNN, where he is a contributor. Trump’s right-wing supporters didn’t hold back. “You’re going to sit there and endorse Mike Rogers and say, ‘Oh this guy is great’? That’s the kiss of death, dude. That’s the kiss of death,” Jack Posobiec, a far-right political activist, said on Steve Bannon’s podcast Friday, before lavishing praise on Patel. Allies collected old clips of Rogers, a former House Intelligence chairman, on television and archived tweets from him disparaging Trump and sent them to the transition team and aides to Trump. On Friday, Scavino brought the backlash to Trump’s attention. The president-elect gave him permission to fire off the damning tweet, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN. Rogers did not respond to request for comment. “I know it’s Trumpworld and anything can change on a dime,” said one source who had expressed his frustration to transition members. “But if Dan put out that tweet, I feel good knowing that it came from the president.” CNN’s Manu Raju, Kaitlan Collins and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany: Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany praised his veteran striker Thomas Muller who took advantage of a rare start this season to put the side ahead against Shakhtar Donetsk after they had gone behind early in their Champions League game on Tuesday (Dec 10). "His goal is a quality that he always had in his career, just the right moment, the right place and he scored the goal very efficiently," Kompany told reporters after the 5-1 win. "And then of course the energy, the passion, the leadership. For us it is very important to have a good balance between experienced players and young players who still have to grow." Muller had started only one of Bayern's previous five games in the competition but, with Harry Kane out injured, the 35-year-old stepped up and was in the perfect position to put Bayern in front just before half-time and begin the fightback. Kompany has given Muller just three starts in the Bundesliga this season but the manager was keen to emphasise the importance of the player to his squad, and his ability to still be there when it counted. "I think it has always been clear that he still plays a very important role for us, even if sometimes it is not every minute in the season, it is sometimes normal," Kompany said. "I think because he has so much experience, he knows how important these moments are. "He can turn a game but we play in the Champions League, you can't always have a totally dominant game without the opponents working out a chance. "At that moment it was his chance and he did something important for the team. Of course, I think overall that we were very dominant, that we played well and that was an important moment."
Heat's Butler out vs. Celtics with knee soreness
Maharashtra Election 2024 Live Updates: Sarvankar vs Thackeray – Who will triumph in Mahim?Richard Parsons, one of corporate America's most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, died Thursday. He was 76. Parsons, who died at his Manhattan home, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015 and cited "unanticipated complications" from the disease for cutting back on work a few years later. The financial services company Lazard, where Parsons was a longtime board member, confirmed his death. Parsons' friend Ronald Lauder told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer. Parsons stepped down Dec. 3 from the boards of Lazard and Lauder's company, Estée Lauder, citing health reasons. He had been on Estée Lauder's board for 25 years. "Dick was an American original, a colossus bestriding the worlds of business, media, culture, philanthropy, and beyond," Ronald Lauder said in a statement on behalf of the Lauder family. David Zaslav, the CEO of Time Warner successor Warner Bros. Discovery, hailed Parsons as a "great mentor and friend" and a "tough and brilliant negotiator, always looking to create something where both sides win." "All who got a chance to work with him and know him saw that unusual combination of great leadership with integrity and kindness," Zaslav said, calling him "one of the great problem solvers this industry has ever seen." Parsons, a Brooklyn native who started college at 16, built a track record of steering big companies through tough times. He returned Citigroup to profitability after turmoil from the global financial crisis and helped restore Time Warner after its much-maligned acquisition by internet provider America Online. Parsons was named to the board of CBS in September 2018 but resigned a month later because of illness. Parsons said in a statement at the time that he was already dealing with multiple myeloma when he joined the board, but "unanticipated complications have created additional new challenges." He said his doctors advised him to cut back on his commitments to ensure recovery. "Dick's storied career embodied the finest traditions of American business leadership," Lazard said in a statement. The company, where Parsons was a board member from 2012 until this month, praised his "unmistakable intelligence and his irresistible warmth." "Dick was more than an iconic leader in Lazard's history — he was a testament to how wisdom, warmth, and unwavering judgment could shape not just companies, but people's lives," the company said. "His legacy lives on in the countless leaders he counseled, the institutions he renewed, and the doors he opened for others." Parsons was known as a skilled negotiator, a diplomat and a crisis manager. Although he was with Time Warner through its difficulties with AOL, he earned respect for the company and rebuilt its relations with Wall Street. He streamlined Time Warner's structure, pared debt and sold Warner Music Group and a book publishing division. He also fended off a challenge from activist investor Carl Icahn in 2006 to break up the company and helped Time Warner reach settlements with investors and regulators over questionable accounting practices at AOL. Parsons joined Time Warner as president in 1995 after serving as chairman and chief executive of Dime Bancorp Inc., one of the largest U.S. thrift institutions. In 2001, after AOL used its fortunes as the leading provider of Internet access in the U.S. to buy Time Warner for $106 billion in stock, Parsons became co-chief operating officer with AOL executive Robert Pittman. In that role, he was in charge of the company's content businesses, including movie studios and recorded music. He became CEO in 2002 with the retirement of Gerald Levin, one of the key architects of that merger. Parsons was named Time Warner chairman the following year, replacing AOL founder Steve Case, who had also championed the combination. The newly formed company's Internet division quickly became a drag on Time Warner. The promised synergies between traditional and new media never materialized. AOL began seeing a reduction in subscribers in 2002 as Americans replaced dial-up connections with broadband from cable TV and phone companies. Parsons stepped down as CEO in 2007 and as chairman in 2008. A year later AOL split from Time Warner and began trading as a separate company, following years of struggles to reinvent itself as a business focused on advertising and content. Time Warner is now owned by AT&T Inc. A board member of Citigroup and its predecessor, Citibank, since 1996, Parsons was named chairman in 2009 at a time of turmoil for the financial institution. Citigroup had suffered five straight quarters of losses and received $45 billion in government aid. Its board had been criticized for allowing the bank to invest so heavily in the risky housing market. Citigroup returned to profit under Parsons, starting in 2010, and would not have a quarterly loss again until the fourth quarter of 2017. Parsons retired from that job in 2012. In 2014 he stepped in as interim CEO of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers until Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took over later that year. "Dick Parsons was a brilliant and transformational leader and a giant of the media industry who led with integrity and never shied away from a challenge," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. Parsons, a Republican, previously worked as a lawyer for Nelson Rockefeller, a former Republican governor of New York, and in Gerald Ford's White House. Those early stints gave him grounding in politics and negotiations. He also was an economic adviser on President Barack Obama's transition team. Parsons, whose love of jazz led to co-owning a Harlem jazz club, also served as Chairman of the Apollo Theater and the Jazz Foundation of America. And he held positions on the boards of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Parsons played basketball at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received his law degree from Albany Law School in 1971. He is survived by his wife, Laura, and their family.
Alphabet Inc. ( NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report ) shot up 0.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $171.14 and last traded at $170.82. 12,433,371 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 19,605,984 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.62. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth GOOG has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Alphabet from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Alphabet from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Alphabet from $182.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Alphabet from $187.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alphabet has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.56. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GOOG Alphabet Price Performance Alphabet ( NASDAQ:GOOG – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The information services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $88.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $86.39 billion. Alphabet had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 27.74%. The business’s revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.55 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Alphabet Inc. will post 8.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Alphabet Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.61%. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director Frances Arnold sold 441 shares of Alphabet stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $75,437.46. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,820,779.40. The trade was a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,835 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total value of $429,587.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,421,948.46. The trade was a 8.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 206,795 shares of company stock valued at $34,673,866. Company insiders own 12.99% of the company’s stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Alphabet Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Alphabet by 9,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 186 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the third quarter worth $33,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter worth $37,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter valued at $40,000. 27.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Alphabet Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Alphabet Inc offers various products and platforms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets segments. The Google Services segment provides products and services, including ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Alphabet Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alphabet and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .CORNELIUS, N.C. and NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpha Modus Corp. ("Alpha Modus" or the “Company”), a technology company with a core focus on artificial intelligence in retail, and Insight Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (“Insight” NASDAQ: INAQ) plan to close their business combination today. Alpha Modus expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbols “AMOD” (its common stock) and “AMODW” (its warrants) on Monday, December 16, 2024. About Alpha Modus Alpha Modus engages in creating, developing and licensing data-driven technologies to enhance consumers' in-store digital experience at the point of decision. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Cornelius, North Carolina. For additional information, please visit alphamodus.com . About Insight Acquisition Corp. Prior to the closing, Insight Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: INAQ) is a special purpose acquisition company formed solely to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Insight Acquisition Corp. is sponsored by Insight Acquisition Sponsor LLC. For additional information, please visit insightacqcorp.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Insight's and Alpha Modus' actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Insight's and Alpha Modus' expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated financial impacts of the Business Combination. Insight and Alpha Modus caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Insight and Alpha Modus do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Contacts: Alpha Modus Shannon Devine MZ Group +1(203) 741-8841 shannon.devine@mzgroup.us
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Mother blasts 'insulting' sentence for teen driver who left her paralysed and unable to hug her son - saying she feels 'indescribable anger' towards 19-year-old who left her 'in a living nightmare' By SARAH RAINEY and LETTICE BROMOVSKY Published: 11:56, 30 November 2024 | Updated: 11:56, 30 November 2024 e-mail View comments A mother has blasted the 'insulting' sentence given to the teen driver who left her paralysed and unable to hug her son ever again. Catherine Davies, 51, was hit by 19-year-old George Taylor on January 18 2023 which caused her to suffer a catastrophic brain injury and irreparable spinal damage. The former fitness instructor is now unable to move from the neck down, she cannot breathe on her own, nor can she control her bladder or bowels, and she is fed through a tube as she can no longer eat or drink normally. Taylor had been using his phone at the wheel, despite only passing his test 12-weeks prior, when he smashed into Catherine's stationary car at a junction in East Tuddenham, Norfolk. This week he was jailed for just two years and two months, a punishment that Catherine, says is an 'insult' after his actions 'imprisoned her for life'. 'He took my whole life away and left me in a living nightmare,' said the mother-of-one through the technology she must now rely on to make herself heard. 'I understand he may only have to serve half the sentence, so will be free in a year's time to get on with his life, whereas I have been imprisoned for life.' Towards the man who took everything from her, she adds, she feels 'indescribable anger'. Catherine Davies was left with catastrophic brain injury and paralysed from the neck down after a horrific road accident caused by a speeding teenage driver using his mobile phone Catherine only just survived almost two years in hospital and a life-saving operation which fused her neck back together After almost two years in hospital and a life-saving operation which fused her neck back together, she is, remarkably, still here – but only just. She has a team of round-the-clock carers to dress, wash and change her and, due to damage to her vocal cords in the accident, uses an 'eye-gaze' machine (similar to that used by Stephen Hawking ) to communicate. Not only has she been robbed of the chance to hug her only child, but she can no longer say 'I love you' – an agony no mother should have to bear. The devastating repercussions of what happened, and how it shattered not only Catherine's life but the lives of everyone around her, cannot be overstated. She has lost the ability to run her beloved fitness business, been forced to leave the cottage where she lived with her son, and now faces a future stripped of all the things she used to love: city breaks, spa days with friends, windswept runs on the beach. Her partner at the time of the accident, with whom she was planning to buy a house, ended their relationship by text message shortly after it happened. To compound Catherine's misery further, her son's father, from whom she separated four years ago, isn't letting her see her son as much as she would like. 'There is,' she admits, 'very little pleasure left in my life now. 'I really miss the tactile side of being a mum and this destroys me. Understanding the nature of my injuries was absolutely terrifying. I cannot describe the fear. It was all-consuming. 'I was overwhelmed by extreme anxiety, consumed by what I'd lost and what was facing me. It was like mourning your own death.' Catherine and her family have, until now, not wanted to speak about their ordeal. Not only is it still raw, with Catherine suffering physical pain and daily fatigue from the accident, but communicating is extremely difficult. Though she retains limited, weak speech, she is able to get the words out only when the cuff on her tracheostomy – a direct opening to the windpipe to help air reach the lungs – is deflated, which depletes her oxygen, leaving her exhausted. However, with the help of her family, including her father, Jeremy, 76, a retired civil servant who has been by her side every minute of this unimaginable journey, she has bravely agreed to an interview, in the hope of warning others of the brutal impact dangerous driving can have. This time two years ago, Catherine recalls, she was happier than she'd ever been. Having studied hotel management in Norwich, she'd worked in fashion (including as a manager at Harrods and Jigsaw in London) before moving to P&O Cruises, working on ships around the Mediterranean and Caribbean, later qualifying as a fitness instructor. As well as running her own bootcamp fitness classes, she worked as an estate planning consultant. 'I was one of the top performers among my peers,' she says. 'I was working towards being promoted to a senior consultant. I loved my job and saw myself working there until retirement. 'I was an early riser, as my days were so full, working full-time and running evening fitness classes as well as looking after my son for half the week. I've always been an energetic and sociable person.' Catherine's son was born in 2014. She doesn't want to name him, nor does she want to identify his father, with whom she co-parents. 'I always wanted to be a mum and get great joy from it,' she says. 'My son is the most important person to me in the world. 'When [he] was with me, my time was focused on him, supporting with schoolwork and, in his free time, doing activities with him which were usually outside. 'We would go on walks, visit the beach and meet up with friends who had children of a similar age. My life was wonderful and going in the right direction.' On the morning of the accident in January 2023, Catherine was driving to a client meeting, having spent the previous night at her partner's house nearby. At 10.57am, she stopped her blue Skoda Fabia at a junction on the A47, where she was indicating to turn right towards East Tuddenham, a village north-west of Norwich. Catherine before the horror crash. As well as running her own bootcamp fitness classes, she worked as an estate planning consultant George Taylor pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving She didn't know it at the time, but George Taylor, a tractor driver from Stretham in Cambridgeshire, was driving his VW Golf dangerously along the road behind her, on his way to college. From 9.56am until he crashed, Taylor, then 17, used his phone nine times while driving, sending text messages, taking calls and making several horrifying videos showing himself steering with his knees, and overtaking other vehicles at speed. Having admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, Taylor told Norwich Crown Court this week that he didn't see Catherine's car stopped in front of him at the junction. 'My phone was on the cup holder,' he said. 'I moved it over to get my vape and there was a loud bang. I went from 60mph to 0mph.' Catherine, who doesn't remember anything from that morning, went into cardiac arrest at the scene and was given CPR by a passing paramedic. She was then flown to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by air ambulance, where the extent of her injuries became clear. 'I don't recall the first few weeks, as I was not conscious,' Catherine explains now. 'My injuries were so serious that my family had been told I may not survive. 'I needed life-saving surgery to stabilise my neck, but my health was so unstable that the surgeons were reluctant to carry it out.' Indeed, Catherine's horrified family were told there was a 50:50 chance she would die during the operation, which involved inserting metal rods into her neck – but they felt it was the only option. Mercifully, it was a success and, from mid-February 2023, she was in a high-dependency unit, now conscious and trying desperately to come to terms with her new, awful reality. She found herself hooked up to all sorts of machines, breathing through a ventilator and unable to feel anything beyond the tops of her shoulders. 'My mind was racing with questions about all aspects of my life,' she says. 'How was I going to look after my son? How was I going to earn money and live? Knowing a machine is breathing for you is extremely scary. 'I was terrified of being alone in case something happened, as I can't move or call out for attention.' In late June, Catherine was transferred to a spinal unit in Sheffield, where, she says, she felt 'lonely' and 'very vulnerable'. Hundreds of miles from her family, who are in Devon – her mother died several years ago but her father lives there with his second wife and her daughter – she began to feel scared. Friends who had devised a rota to visit her stopped coming regularly, as it was too far. So did her son, whom she had been seeing twice a week. 'I spent many days alone, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. I was very depressed, anxious and frightened.' A crowdfunding campaign, run by friends and family, raised more than £20,000 to buy the eye-gaze machine, so she could use eye movement to control a computer, communicate with her son and access social media. More funding has come from a civil compensation claim, which has, to date, paid privately for a psychologist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and a personal case manager, who supports Catherine every day. But living with such complex needs is expensive and the family needs more. Their lawyers, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, say it will be up to two years before the civil case is concluded and the full payout confirmed. Catherine stayed in hospital until June this year, when she was discharged to a rented house with a team of 24/7 carers, but it quickly became clear that her care was inadequate and she was readmitted, very unwell. Eventually, earlier this month, she was discharged for good. Today, home looks very different to the cottage where this houseproud, super-fit working mum used to live. With the help of her case manager, and several FaceTime property viewings, she found a barn for rent, which the landlord was happy to be adapted. 'The adaptations have included changing the bathroom to a wet room, having a hoist and ceiling track fitted so that I can be transferred from my bedroom to the bathroom, and having level-access patio doors and decking fitted so I can easily access the back garden,' she explains. Taylor, then 17, used his phone nine times while driving, sending text messages, taking calls and making videos Videos from Taylor showed him driving him at speed and overtaking other vehicles while using his steering wheel with his knees One of the text messages sent by Taylor while driving his VW Golf With the help of family, who visit regularly, and her tight-knit group of girlfriends, who have brought soft furnishings, flowers and lamps, she says it is starting to feel like home. 'I have chosen all the furniture, including a bespoke and very beautiful kitchen island that I can sit at in my wheelchair,' she says. A team of eight carers supports Catherine round the clock with every aspect of her daily routine. 'It takes several hours for me to be got up, toileted and washed,' she explains. 'I am fed through a tube [but] I can take a few teaspoons of water or coffee. 'My lungs need careful management with cough-assist machines and nebulisers. I require someone to regularly stretch my limbs and I need to be repositioned regularly to avoid pressure sores to my skin.' It is, truly heartbreaking to compare Catherine's existence today with her former life. Social media snaps show her smiling and laughing, on bike rides with her son and posing with friends after fitness challenges. She doesn't look her then 49 years, a youthfulness she attributes to looking after her figure and healthy eating. Today, her head resting on a pillow in her wheelchair, Catherine is no less beautiful, her long blonde hair neatly brushed, her cream blouse and trousers elegant and stylish. 'My appearance is very important to me,' she says. 'I love clothes and have always looked after myself.' She is, she says, 'beginning to accept this is my new reality' – and tries not to think of the man who did this to her. Taylor, who is expecting a child of his own in February, will serve his sentence in a young offender institution, and also faces a 40-month driving ban. His parents wrote a letter to the judge this week, apologising for what he did, insisting he is 'a good person'. Taylor himself turned to Catherine's family in court to express his regret. 'I wish I had never got a licence and never got a car,' he said. 'I cannot say anything more than sorry.' It is an apology Catherine is unlikely ever to accept. 'His moments of stupidity, driving while using a mobile phone, have changed my life and my family's lives for ever,' she says. Today, her main focus is her son, her ray of smiling sunshine, whom she longs to see more. 'He does visit me, but [this] is dependent on when his father has the time to bring him, which is far from as often as I would like to see him,' she says. 'I don't feel I see him enough and this is very upsetting for me. 'When we are together, it is usually only for a few hours, and we spend that time catching up about what he's doing at school and in his free time. 'We lie on my bed together and watch films, which gives me great comfort to have him near me.' Though she cannot hold him tight or easily tell him herself, Catherine is immensely proud of how well her son has dealt with her ordeal. 'He is amazing,' she adds. 'He always seems happy and cheerful and perfectly comfortable around me and all my equipment. 'I just wish I could see him more often and have him living with me. I am desperate to be his mum again.' Stephen Hawking Share or comment on this article: Mother blasts 'insulting' sentence for teen driver who left her paralysed and unable to hug her son - saying she feels 'indescribable anger' towards 19-year-old who left her 'in a living nightmare' e-mail Add comment
