“LIFE will never be the same without my brother”.

That’s the message from one of the siblings of Kevin Burgess, who tragically died after being hit by a BMW driven by Aaron Clare in May 2020.

Clare, who was sentenced to eight years in prison at Reading Crown Court this morning (November 12), was banned from driving and high on cocaine and xanax at the time of the incident.

After veering off the carriageway on Bath Road in Southcote having reached a top speed of 87mph, Clare collided with 41-year-old father Burgess.

READ MORE: Police gave up chase of driver 30 seconds before he killed pedestrian

At his sentencing, prosecutor Lisa Goddard read statements from Kevin’s siblings.

Mr Burgess’s sister and brothers revealed the pain of losing their brother having been split up in their childhood and after only having reunited as adults.

Ms Goddard first read a statement from Larissa Burgess, who was separated from her brother when young and only reconnected with him on Facebook in 2011.

Since then, she had only been able to meet Kevin a handful of times due to the distance between them but was planning to visit him prior to his death.

READ MORE: Aaron Clare admits to causing death of pedestrian

She said: “I was really looking forward to seeing him. I was not able to do that because Aaron Clare’s stupidity one morning took that away from me.”

Ms Burgess said she lost her mother to a drink-driver and that her father had only recently reunited with his children after years apart.

“Aaron Clare took one [child] away from him.

“We will never forgive Aaron Clare for what he has taken away from us as a family.”

Keith Burgess, Kevin’s brother, said he had not been the same since his sibling passed away as his heart had been “broken”.

“I miss my brother every single day knowing I will never see him or hear his voice again.

“Life will never be the same without my brother.”

Adam Burgess first met his brother when Kevin was 31.

He paid tribute to his brother in a statement, saying: “He took me into his family without any question and gave me a feeling of belonging.

READ MORE: Drink driver could face a year in prison

“We considered ourselves not only to be brothers but the closest of friends.

“That Kevin should be taken from me is heartbreaking in the extreme.

“To know the incident was so totally avoidable makes the sense of loss so hard to deal with.”

Before Her Honour Judge Campbell sentenced Clare to eight years in prison, she said the family’s statements were “very moving” and said “life will never be the same for them”.