"I HAVE suffered just the same as them." That is Gary Hart's message to the victims of the Selby rail disaster in a television documentary tonight.
His words will provoke fury among the bereaved and the survivors.
Hart has served a short prison sentence, and he must live with the guilt of causing the horrific Great Heck crash.
But this man's suffering is as nothing compared to that endured by those innocently caught up in the carnage he caused.
Gary Hart will never know what it feels like to kiss a loved one goodbye as they set off to catch an early morning train - and never see them again.
He has no notion of the anguish for wives who have buried husbands and children who have lost fathers.
Neither can he understand what it is like to survive that terrible crash. In an emotive interview tonight Stephen Lofthouse describes how his life was shattered on that February morning.
Not only did he sustain appalling physical injuries in the crash, he also lost his job, his marriage and his peace of mind.
Brave and dignified, Stephen is the exact opposite of the whining, self-pitying Gary Hart who has yet to show one iota of remorse. Every time he speaks, this wretched man causes his victims more agony.
Hart should shut up, unless he can ever bring himself to say the one word they want to hear: sorry.
Updated: 10:49 Tuesday, October 26, 2004
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