A ‘heartbroken’ Weston father, who was killed in a car crash a year after the death of his seven-week-old son, has been remembered as a ‘good, kind soul’ by his family.

‘Passionate’ DJ and music producer Jonathan Monk, aged 33, was almost three times over the legal limit for alcohol when, on the anniversary weekend of his son Harley’s death, his speeding car veered off the road near Cheddar and collided with two trees.

An inquest into Jon’s death at Taunton Coroner’s Court on October 24 was told he had been travelling along the A371 towards Cheddar just before 6am when he took a corner at around 65-73mph in a 30mph zone.

His mum, Sue Monk spoke exclusively to the Mercury about the ‘horrendous tragedy’ which has left the family ‘broken’.

She said: “He was a family man and would bend over backwards for you. He was fiercely loyal and protective.

“He was a proud father to his baby Harley, who sadly died when he was seven weeks old from sudden infant death syndrome.

“Jon was the one who tried to resuscitate him and he was so brave. He said he died the day Harley did and he could not pull himself together – he was totally broken.”

Jon was staying in Draycott with his sister Sarah Monk and their partners when he got in his black BMW 3 Series to drive home to Weston on April 29.

Witness Jonathan Perry was driving along the same road on his way to the Cheddar car boot when he saw Jon’s car.

He said: “The car was almost in the middle of the road and had to swerve as it went past me. After it passed, I could smell the tyres and the heat from the engine, it was like being at a race track.”

PC Andrew Bennett said Jon’s car went over a grass verge before striking a large tree stump, uprooting it.

The impact caused his car to lift and collide with another tree, snapping it in half.

PC Bennett said the BMW was ‘no longer recognisable’ after the crash.

Sue said her son’s life was never the same after Harley’s death.

She said: “He gave up everything and he lost all his passion and his flare for life and his music.

“He never used to drink and drive but his heartbreak over losing the baby is the reason why. It is not the Jon we know and I understand how grief drove him to that.”

Senior coroner Tony Williams concluded Jon died from multiple injuries sustained from a road traffic collision.