Teenager handed prison sentence after killing ‘Litherland Running Man’ in hit and run

A teenage boy who ploughed a £100,000 stolen Audi S8 into a house and killed a pedestrian in a hit and run has been sentenced to four years in prison.

David Francis, 63, was crushed against a wall by the driver of the car, who then crashed into a home in Morgan Mews and fled on foot.

Police and paramedics attended the scene at around 9pm on Thursday April 13, but Mr Francis was pronounced dead. Well-known in his local area for going jogging in all weathers, he was affectionately known as the ‘Litherland Running Man’.

Lewis Wright, 17, who has committed a string of previous offences, was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Andrew Menary, KC, at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to the charge of death by dangerous driving.

How tragic death occurred: The court heard how Wright went the wrong way round a small roundabout after flooring the accelerator and smashed into guard rails striking ultra fit amateur athlete Mr Francis. The 63-year-old victim was crushed between the front of the Audi S8 and a low garden wall before the car ploughed through the front garden, demolishing trees and colliding with the house.

The car came to rest protruding through the wall of the lounge where the occupants were watching TV. “Mr Francis was horribly injured, perhaps almost dead, by this time,” said Ian Harris, prosecuting. Wright, who had been driving at about three times the speed limit at between 54 and 62 mph before the crash, climbed from the wreckage and fled, only handing himself in to police six days later after his picture appeared in the local media.

Judge Menary told the defendant: “Tragically you not only hit a lot of things you also hit someone, David Francis. He was walking or running on the pavement at this junction when you mowed him down. There is no other description for it. Mr Francis stood no chance of survival at all and the catalogue of multiple injuries meant he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. You got out and ran away.

“The simple fact is you were behind the wheel of a fancy and powerful car with no licence to drive and never passed a test. You choose to accelerate furiously along this residential road in a car you did not know. This type of arrogant driving of these stolen cars, that is seen too often, is designed to intimidate communities. Tragically Mr Francis paid a terrible price for this selfish behaviour.”

Detective Inspector Jay Halpin said: “This was truly a horrific incident in which an innocent member of the public was tragically killed by a stolen car, which shocked the community. Nobody can begin to understand the impact and the circumstances of David’s sudden death has had on his family and friends, but I hope that this conviction will give them a sense of justice. I also hope that Wright reflects on his time in prison of the fatal consequences and distress he has caused to David’s family.”