Speeding driver jailed after killing teenager on East Lancs Road
Craig Griffiths, 36, was driving at least 13mph over the speed collision when he hit Harry Kinney-Ryan
A speeding driver has been jailed for 12 months after knocking down and killing a teenager on the East Lancs Road.
Craig Griffiths, 36, of Frinstead Road in Norris Green, was going at least 13mph over the speed limit when he hit 13 year old Harry Kinney-Ryan in December 2022.
At around 7:15pm on Wednesday 7 December 2022, Griffiths was in the outside lane of the dual carriageway and accelerated to try and get into the inside lane, so he could turn left at the next junction by Stonedale Retail Park.
But as he was moving across, he hit Harry who was trying to cross the road. He was rushed to hospital but died two days later.
He had just been to the nearby service station to buy sweets and was on his way home.
Harry's step-mum fought through tears to tell Liverpool Crown Court about his 'perfect smile' and sense of humour - adding that she doesn't think they'll ever live another happy day on this earth without him.
The judge also revealed that Harry's friend, who was him that night, used three words to describe him - 'he was amazing'.
Griffiths remained at the scene after the collision and pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.
He will serve six months before being released on licence.
Detective Sergeant Andy Roper, Lead Investigating Officer from Merseyside Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit said:
"Our sincere condolences remain very much with Harry’s family. It has been a very difficult time for them as their lives have been changed forever and they continue to grieve for him. They have been supported by our specially trained Family Liaison Officer throughout the process.
"This is an extremely sad case in which the driving decisions made by Griffiths that day have led to devastating consequences. Not just for Harry’s family and friends, but indeed for his own.
"I would like to praise the actions of members of the public who stopped to help, administer first aid and provide care which enabled Harry to survive in hospital for a further two days. This provided his loved ones with the ability to spend some precious final moments with him.
"I hope that today’s sentence will go some way for Harry’s family to begin to try and move forward and properly grieve after more than 18 months of agony. My deepest condolences and thoughts have, and always will, remain with them."
It was confirmed, following an investigation from Merseyside Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, that Griffiths was driving between 53mph and 58mph at the time of the collision.
The speed limit on the road was 40mph.
Detective Sergeant Roper added:
"I hope that the detail of this case sends out a strong message to all motorists and should serve to remind people that as driver’s we are all accountable for the decisions we make on the road and that they can have life shattering consequences.
"I would ask motorists to reflect on how we use our vehicles and to be road safety conscious while driving on the road. Excess speed devastates lives to those involved in road crashes. No one wants to be involved in such incidents and we must change driving behaviour to reduce this.
"Merseyside Police will not tolerate drivers who deliberately ignore the rules of the road and we are committed to preventing serious injury and road death, and we are working towards Vision Zero – our strategy focused on driving down the amount of road traffic collisions in our region and to lower the number of people killed and seriously injured on our streets.
"However, this is something that we must all do in partnership to help make the roads safer."