A YOUNG inexperienced motorist drove off after knocking down a pedestrian who was later to die of his injuries, a court heard.

Kieran Ged Daly was driving his uninsured Subaru Forester at above the 30-miles per hour speed limit, at an estimated 47-mph, when the collision took place after Abdul Karim stepped out to cross Front Street, Leadgate, at 4pm on Saturday March 30, 2019.

Durham Crown Court heard there were earlier reports of Daly “showing off” at the wheel, and there was no evidence of any attempt having been made to brake the Subaru, immediately before impact with the pedestrian.

Daly and his passengers then appeared to have taken great steps to avoid responsibility for the accident, kicking the number plates off the car a couple of miles away, then driving to farm land where the vehicle was set alight.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said Daly, “clearly got rid” of both his phone and the clothes he was wearing and, assisted by two of his passengers, travelled to Doncaster, booking into a hotel, “to stay out of the way,” although it appears internet searches were made to discover information about the outcome of the collision.

John George Middleton, a cousin of one of the passengers, who was almost 20-miles away in Seaham at the time, was later to claim he was driving the car when the collision took place.

The accident victim, Mr Karim, was taken to hospital, but died nine days later from his injuries.

A 60-year-old, who lived locally in the Leadgate area, was married with a teenage daughter, and was described as, “a hard-working family man.”

Daly, who was 18 at the time of the collision, of Watling Street Bungalows, Leadgate, denied causing death by careless driving.

Middleton, 26, of Ryton Crescent, Seaham, denied perverting the course of justice.

Both were found guilty on unanimous jury verdicts after a four-day trial early last month.

Judge Ray Singh said they were convicted on, “overwhelming evidence”.

He described it was, “a tragic case with tragic consequences”.

“A family now no longer has a husband and a father, and the direct cause was your driving, Mr Daly.

“Travelling at that speed you would not have been able to see and react, and a collision was unavoidable.”

The court heard a year after the fatal accident Daly was involved in another collision in which speed played a factor, leaving a father and son injured.

Judge Singh said after the Leadgate fatal accident Daly and friends, “did everything to avoid detection,” adding that he could see no reason why Middleton would try to take the blame, other than some form of family loyalty.

Daly, now 19, received a 15-month sentence in a young offenders’ institution, with a two-year driving ban to follow his release.

Middleton, who also admitted separate offences of common assault and intimidation, was jailed for two years and nine months.

Jay Bruce, 20, of Front Street, Castleside, and Kieran Stewart, 21, of Palmerston Street, Consett, both admitted assisting an offender.

Bruce was this week given a 12-month community order, with a three-month 7pm to 6am electronically-monitored home curfew.

Stewart received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, during which he must attend 20 rehabilitation activity day sessions, overseen by the Probation Service.

He was also placed on a three-month 8pm to 6am electronically-monitored curfew.