MORE TRIBUTES TO LECTURER WHO DIED IN CRASH

Sasha Spinnelli, 40, of The Course, died when her Nissan Micra was struck by a truck on the coast-bound carriageway between Sittingbourne and Faversham on the M2.

Ms Spinnelli, who used her maiden surname, Roberts, professionally, was a University of Kent lecturer.

A neighbour of Ms Spinnelli told the Express this week: 'She was a lovely person. She will be missed.

'She and her family spent a lot of time travelling.'

She was a senior lecturer in English and American literature and had worked at the university for nine years.

Police believe Ms Spinnelli and her son were parked in a dark gray Nissan Micra for an unknown reason on the hard shoulder of the motorway on Thursday last week.

The driver of a Scania lorry has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

We have received the following:

I would just like to add to the tributes that must be flooding in following the death of Sasha Roberts.

She was my lecturer and teacher for three years at the University of Kent and I was in floods of tears when I heard this tragic news as was everyone I phoned. Not one person at the University lit up a room like Sasha did ...

Her smile, her enthusiasm and her passion for her subject just inspired me to read and enjoy my subject in the way that she did.

The last e-mail I have from her was when I was feeling really down in my final year and felt like her module was far too difficult for me to succeed in.

She just sent the most wonderful words back saying that she knew I would do well and she was thrilled to have me in her group and that it would not be the same without me. It was almost a page long!

That was Sasha ... She always replied so individually to people's e-mails and she was always right! She helped me gain some amazing marks and I feel that I owe my degree to her..

What a loss. May she rest in peace.

Heather Coleman

We have also received:

Sasha was the most inspiring, enthusiastic, intelligent and caring teacher I had the pleasure of being in the presence of. I specifically chose modules because I knew she was taking them, and I know I wasn't the only one to do so! It was immediately evident that she was incredibly talented, not just in her professional field of work, but in her ability to support, encourage and commit to all of her students, as well as the conscious effort she made to remember peoples names, which is a rarity. The last e-mail I had form her was, as per usual, wonderfully light and very touching.

She really did put the fun back into learning (making us improvise a scene from Shakespeare with her sons toys is one happy memory which will stick with me for ever) and it is such a tragic shame and a waste of a wonderful woman.

My heart goes out to her family.

I hope she is happy where ever she may be, I will never forget her.

Samantha Reynolds

If you would like to add your tributes to this article, and this website, email