GLYN Gurney was a son to be proud of - a caring, good-looking 20-year-old who had just started a new job and had everything to live for. But his family were left broken-hearted when he was killed in a horrific car accident in the early hours of May 30, 2003.

From the very early days as they tried to cope with their grief they also began asking questions about the crash on the A4042 Malpas bypass. The car, driven by Glyn's best friend, Christopher Dawkins, hit the central crash barrier, which came away on impact and wrapped around the vehicle.

A detailed investigation was immediately launched and independent traffic experts Traffic Research Laboratories were commissioned to look into the circumstances of the "unusual" accident.

Last December Christopher Dawkins appeared in court charged with causing Glyn's death while three times the alcohol limit and was sentenced to four years in custody. A ten- year driving ban was later cut in half on appeal.

But Glyn's family are convinced that the cause of his death was due to a fault in the barrier, and have continually called for the report into the accident to be made public.

But they are still waiting to hear the outcome of the investigation. Mr Gurney's worst fear is that all the facts will not come out, but has vowed to keep fighting for the truth and will even pay for a private investigation if the report into the accident is not made public.

"I thought it would be a few months before we knew something, but it has just gone on and on," said Nick Gurney at the home in St Julians he shares with his wife, Kate, and their two young daughters.

"I want answers, I want to know what went wrong." The couple's life has been on hold since the accident. They have been unable to work and are still on anti-depressants. During the last year they had to face what would have been Glyn's 21st birthday.

Mr Gurney said: "We want to be able to finalise everything - we just want answers so we can settle it. It is getting easier to cope with and to live with, but with each anniversary you get this feeling inside and all of a sudden it's starting again.

"Every single night I close my eyes trying to get off to sleep, and it's like a shock goes through my body because I had to identify him, and that's exactly what I keep seeing.

"I'm dreading Sunday. It's easy when you try not to think of it, but at times like these you can't help but think of it."

Mr and Mrs Gurney, along with Glyn's aunts, are planning to remember him by laying flowers at the site of the accident at the same time as it occurred last year.

"I keep thinking it is the anniversary of the saddest day of our lives. If we could close that book it would help, and I'm hoping that pretty soon we will get some results, but I'm beginning to feel as if we might have to start our own private investigation.

"All we want to do is find out how and why he died." Mr Gurney agreed Dawkins should not have been driving that night, but said: "The barrier should have worked.

"We don't want anything hidden from the public. We think the public have a right to know. That barrier should not have snapped," said his devoted stepmum. "And it's not just having any answers. We haven't had a death certificate and we haven't had his clothes or phone back yet," added Mrs Gurney. "If I could just get a result that said you have done it, you have found the reasons why... it's not going to change anything but inside I will know I have done what is right for him," said Mr Gurney.

"We knew it was going to take time but we didn't think it would be this long and I've just got that feeling that the truth is not going to come out."