Dead teenager's family attack sentence

Adam O'Toole, 18, was hit by a vehicle at a crossing on March 6 2007.

Brett Kingsley, 25, of Cecil Street, Oldham, was behind the wheel of the Rover 200 car that hit the teenager, but claimed his car had been damaged in an accidental collision in a car park.

He was tracked down and initially arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, but was only charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the insurance claim.

Several judges questioned why he was only charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Bradford Crown Court heard there was not enough evidence to charge Kingsley with causing death by dangerous driving, so he was charged for lying about how the car was damaged. He pleaded guilty to that charge earlier this year: a charge of death by careless driving which he could have faced did not exist in 2007.

The victim's mother Beverley O'Toole said she was disappointed with the 18-month sentence imposed by Judge Alistair McCallum.

In a statement issued after the case, the family said: "Last Sunday should have been Adam's 22nd birthday. There were no cards, no celebrations. The day only brought yet another very painful reminder of his unfinished life.

"Today should have brought us some closure, but we feel neither peace or comfort as we struggle to understand the discrepancy between some of the evidence at the inquest into Adam's death and the evidence put before the court this week.

"The driver who killed Adam did not stop, he didn't even break and did absolutely nothing to help Adam as he lay dying."