The father of a man who was killed in a car crash has been left heartbroken after “evil” thieves broke into his car and stole two sentimental cushions made from his son’s t-shirts.
Mark Holden, 50, had parked at Manchester Airport after going away for a long weekend on January 18. He left his BMW at Terminal One’s multi-storey car park.
After returning on Sunday night, Mark was devastated to find his car had been broken into. As he was driving back to his Cheshire home, he realised the thieves had stolen the cushions made from his son Jacob Holden’s t-shirts following his death.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “My girlfriend was in the car and suddenly said ‘they’ve taken Jay’s cushions’. I was gutted… just heartbroken.”
Jacob, 23, known to friends and family as Jay, died in a crash in Malpas, Cheshire, in October 2022.
In a heartbreaking tribute, his family described him as “a caring, gentle, kind soul who made time for everyone”, adding that he had an “inherent goodness that is rare to find”.
Following Jacob’s sudden death, Mark’s mum Gillian Valentine, who works as a dressmaker, made cushions out of his t-shirts to help the family deal with their grief.
Mark added: “The reason I have them in the car is because losing a 23-year-old in a road traffic accident has been really painful, and there are little things as a family we have found to help us through. When things like this happen it’s just like a kick in the stomach. It makes you feel really sick when you think about it.”
Mark said thieves also took the keys to his brother’s car, a pair of glasses and aftershave. He later put out an appeal on Facebook for help, saying he was ‘distraught and absolutely disgusted’ that people could be “so evil”.
He added: “The pain of Jay’s sudden passing is unmentionable every day for me, but the presence of these cushions in my car gave me so much comfort while travelling and made me feel close to Jay. I put a cushion on the front seat so it’s next to me. It’s a little thing that helps.”
The post has been shared 16,000 times, with thousands of people offering Mark and his family kind words. He added: “If I could have them back, it would mean so much. It would mean the world to me. They are irreplaceable. They’re worthless to someone else, but priceless to me.”
Greater Manchester Police said the theft was reported, but no suspect could be identified following enquiries. The force said if further evidence comes to light, it will investigate.
A spokesperson from Manchester Airport said: “We are saddened to learn of this appalling theft and are working closely with Greater Manchester Police to help catch whoever is responsible. We take the security of our car parks extremely seriously and have an extensive CCTV network as well as a dedicated team that patrols them. Millions of passengers use our parking facilities every year and thanks to the measures we have in place incidents like this are extremely rare.”
