Good evening, these are the last headlines from ECHO for Monday, May 23.

Teenager with ‘biggest heart’ dies after being ‘radically let down’

A caring teenager who had a ‘bright future ahead of her’ had been ‘dramatically abandoned’ by professionals, a heartbroken mother has claimed.

READ MORE: Woman, 63, ‘dragged down the road’ as pet is ransacked by ‘no dog’

Katie Wilkins was just 14 when she died on July 31, 2020 at Alder Hey Hospital after a short battle with a rare form of leukaemia. An inquest has been held into the death of the teenager, who dreamed of becoming a paramedic, from Runcorn Road in Warrington.

Speaking at Liverpool Gerard Majella Courthouse on Monday morning, mum Jeanette Whitfield said: “I lost a part of my heart that day, my best friend and her sister’s best friend. You put your trust and everything in the experts so don’t expect to hear how disappointed she was. She should always be here with me.

The audience heard how Katie started complaining of vaginal pain after traveling to London to see her sister after the lockdown restrictions. After a trip to his GP showed clear water tests, his mother made the decision to take him to A&E in Warrington on June 30.

Ms Whitfield said scans by genealogy doctors showed a large abscess, which was ‘quite unusual’ for her age, and she was given a course of antibiotics with a follow-up appointment. The audience heard how Katie was in ‘waves of pain’, but the following week she was given another course of antibiotics because ‘the swelling had not gone down’.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Lego loves £1.3m fraudster spent thousands on Disneyland trips

A hobbyist Lego fraudster has spent thousands of pounds on toys, renovations and trips to Disneyland.

Lee Hickinbottom, 49, worked with his former partner, Tabatha Knott, 34, to fraudulently submit £1.3million worth of VAT refund claims to HMRC between 2014 and 2017. The 49-year-old submitted most requests through his company Serenity Community Transport. and provided false invoices.

With the stolen money, the couple had a dream vacation and visited Disneyland, the Louvre in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York. They also spent hundreds of thousands of pounds buying and improving their home in Dudley, which included spending over £13,000 on a luxury hot tub which had to be installed with a crane.

The fraudster also bought £20,000 worth of shares in a confectionery company, spent £4,220 supporting Everton football club and treated himself to over £1,500 worth of Lego. In an unsuccessful attempt to hide his criminality, Hickinbottom moved money between numerous personal bank accounts he had set up in his own name.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Man dies after being hit by train as Lime Street services are canceled

A man has died after being hit by a train at a Cheshire station.

Cheshire Police were called to Hartford station in Northwich at around 4pm on Monday May 23 following reports of a man being hit by a train. Once officers and paramedics arrived on the scene, the station was closed to all trains and British Transport Police were called.

British Transport Police confirmed that when emergency services arrived on the scene the man was already dead. Officers are currently working to identify the man and notify next of kin.

A British Transport Police spokesperson said: ‘British Transport Police were called to the line near Hartford at 4pm today (May 2) following reports of an injured The tracks were also attended by paramedics and sadly one person was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Officers are currently working to identify the deceased and notify next of kin. The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”