A dad spoke of his "nightmare" after losing two of his sons at tragically young ages.
Damian Fitchett, from Woolton, paid tribute to his son Oliver Fitchett who died in a car crash on Speke Avenue last week. The 25-year-old "talented and promising" young chef was in his Ford Focus on the way back from celebrating Mother's Day with loved ones on Sunday, March 19.
The death of Oliver, who worked in the Art School restaurant in Liverpool city centre, is not the first tragedy the family has been put through. 10 years ago this July, the family also lost his brother Jonathan Fitchett, who was beaten to death aged 22.
READ MORE:Thomas Cashman murder trial resumes as man accused of shooting schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Jonathan had been shopping for a football for his nephew on a hot summer's day when he was attacked by two men outside JD Sports at Cables Retail Park, Prescot. After his death in 2013, a court was told attackers Gerard Childs and Stephen Price ganged up on Mr Fitchett, chasing him across the car park before punching and kicking him.
He suffered bleeding on the brain and a fractured jaw and was rushed to Whiston hospital in cardiac arrest. He died the next day on Friday, July 12.
Childs and Price were jailed for life in December 2013 after a jury convicted them both of murder. However in 2015 Jonathan's family were "upset, angry and confused" to hear that both had been cleared of the murder charge by London’s Criminal Appeal Court.
Childs, of King Edward Road, Rainhill, had instead been handed a seven-year jail term for the less serious charge of manslaughter. Price, 30, of Hayes Avenue, Prescot, who the court ruled was guilty of affray, was jailed for two and a half years.
Damian Fitchett previously told the ECHO: "We are so angry and we are upset. We are confused – we can’t understand it.
"We have kept quiet and tried to keep our dignity. It’s not going to change anything or bring Jonathan back but we want people to know that this has happened and how we feel about it."
He added: "I could never say we were happy with them, but the original sentences gave us time to grieve. We knew that they would be away for at least 10 years.
"I hate the words 'moving on' but that’s what we were trying to do, although we accepted it was something that would be with us for the rest of our lives."
Now Damian is living in a "nightmare" after losing his second son, Oliver, from Old Swan. He said: "Oliver was a bright, articulate and fun loving son. He was also my best mate.
"He had a beautiful fiancee in Lucy, and promising career as a chef working under Paul Askew at the Art School Liverpool. As a family, we are broken and will never get over his passing."
The 55-year-old added: "Ollie remembered his late brother Jonathan and kept his memory alive. They loved each other. To lose a child is every parent's nightmare; to lose two children is beyond words."
Chef Patron at the Art School Paul Askew also paid tribute to his colleague and revealed he was about to promote him. Paul said: "He was such a talented, joyous character.
"It wasn't just his culinary talent and potential, he was also just an amazing part of the team in terms of his attitude, his humour, his likeability – he was just a lovely, lovely guy."
Paul had been working with Ollie for a "wonderful" Mother's Day shift at the restaurant on Sunday and had been joking with him just hours before the crash that claimed his life. He said on Monday: "Ollie was sat in the office with me at 8pm last night talking about what we were going to do with the fish garnish and laughing together.
"He had been with us all week and of course yesterday was Mothering Sunday and we had 100 covers of joy and it was a wonderful day, he did a great job and we sat at the end as we do and looked at what we needed for the next few days.
"He was getting all excited as he always did about new produce. Ollie was a proper foodie and an ambitious chef."
READ NEXT: 'He was my best mate' dad's heartbreaking tribute to son killed in Speke crash
Police update after Mother's Day brawl breaks out in Baltic Triangle
'I think he's dead' – Driver's 999 call after teenager killed in high-speed chase
Mum, 22, died after being told to 'get on with it'