Coventry MP calls for justice and support for Keaton Slater’s family
The Coventry schoolboy was killed in a hit-and-run 3 months ago
A Coventry MP is supporting Keaton Slater’s family in their campaign to extradite the man alleged to have killed the schoolboy and introduce measures to prevent further incidents from happening.
The 12-year-old died on June 14 after being struck down by a black BMW on Radford Road.
The main suspect wanted on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving - Dolars Aleksanders - still has not been caught following the incident.
Parents, Louise and Clint, have set-up a petition calling on the Government to have the 21-year-old extradited from Latvia, which has been signed by thousands of people.
Coventry North West MP Taiwo Owatemi has shown her support.
She said: “This incident was very devastating for the community, and it has been truly remarkable to see how the community have come together to support Keaton’s family. Fighting for justice for him and this incident really just shows how remarkable people have been.
“But it hasn't been easy. I've had many parents raise with me their concerns about safety. They want to have that peace of mind that when their child is coming home from school, that they’ll be protected.”
The politician has been working with the family and the local authority to bring in safety measures in the area, including changing the speed limit and installing more cameras.
She said: “We’ve been having conversations about what the best approach is moving forward. We recognise that this person Dolars Aleksanders failed to even recognise the speed limit and the cameras that was there, so more needs to be done.
“We thought about staggering some of the traffic lights so that they don't all turn green together. Different ideas have been proposed, but we're just trying to see what the best approach is that would prevent the situation from happening.
“I know the Council has been trying to find ways to encourage people to just really slow down. They are pushing for all schools to have 20 mile per hour roads in front of them and around them.”
MP Owatemi explained why the suspect has not yet been charged, and what action is being taken to bring justice.
She said: “Obviously Keaton needs justice, and this is by ensuring that the suspect is able to be brought from wherever he is, to be held accountable for his actions. So, I am speaking to the Home Office and to the Minister. I'm speaking to our political counterparts in Latvia to get that as quickly as possible.
“Since we left the European Union, they didn't negotiate extradition treaties, so that means now it is based on our relationship with other countries. Some countries could be quick and some countries could take time and that is something that we're still establishing. In terms of building those foundations, and that's sadly one of the challenges we have with these cases.”
MP Taiwo Owatemi is encouraging people to engage with Louise’s consultation to introduce speed measures.