Craig Bergin, 20, broke down at Bradford Crown Court yesterday after being found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Miss Gough, 19, of Bailiff Bridge, was killed when her Renault Clio smashed into a barrier on Burdock Way, Halifax, on January 10 last year.

Bergin, whom she met outside the Acapulco club that night, denied challenging the former Brighouse High pupil to a race or swerving towards her in his yellow Vauxhall Tigra as the pair headed along the flyover.

He claimed the accident may have been caused by high winds or Miss Gough's best friend, Rachael Parr, who grabbed the wheel.

The jury took three hours 48 minutes to find Bergin, of Shay Lane, Halifax, not guilty.

Outside court, still crying, he refused to comment because, he said, the Gough family "have been through enough."

Miss Gough's mum Bev said the verdict had left the entire family "numb."
She told the Courier: "Our views on what happened haven't changed.

"The challenge now is to move on. We've stayed strong throughout everything because we're a strong family. We've got each other and we've had brilliant support from all our friends and we'll stay strong even now.

"Naomi's memory will live on forever because she was such a wonderful person and there are plenty of people who loved her to make sure she's never forgotten."

She said the family – herself, dad Steve, brother Shane, 24, and sister Rochelle, 19 – would continue to raise money for the Naomi Gough Memorial Fund, which supports SCARD, Support and Care After Road Death and Injury.

A sponsored walk to Blackpool, which Miss Gough had visited on her last day, will take place later this year.