Disqualified driver ran over and killed boy, 5, who was ‘out buying sweets’
A banned driver has been jailed for six years after he ran over and killed a five-year-old boy who was ‘on an adventure buying sweets and cakes’.
Layton Darwood was inside a shop buying treats in August 2020 in Fenham, Newcastle before climbing onto a parked truck belonging to Darren Jacques, 42.
The groundworker pulled his vehicle away after buying a bottle of beer inside the shop, causing Layton to fall beneath the vehicle.
The wheels of the trailer rolled over him, causing fatal injuries.
He later died in hospital.
The court heard Layton was with three other children, and they had gone to buy sweets for a picnic.
Jacques, from Penrith, Cumbria, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving while disqualified at Newcastle crown Court.
The court heard he has 54 convictions on his record, which include drink driving, diving while disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking and failing to stop after an accident.
He was not only banned from the roads at the time but was also not qualified to drive the works vehicle he was using that day.
Sergeant Alan Keenleyside, a Forensic collision Investigator for Northumbria Police, said he believed Jacques was aware the children were on the trailer and he should have taken ‘greater care’ when moving away.
Jacques gave police a fake name, and lied about it for another two hours.
He eventually confessed his real identity after police asked for a fingerprint, telling officers he ‘panicked’.
Layton’s mum, Stephany Bloomer, said in a victim impact statement: ‘Getting sweets and cake was Layton’s favourite thing to do, he was so excited.
‘Little did I realise this would also be his last adventure.
‘Instead of seeing smiling faces I came face to face with the most horrific scene, as I had to kneel by Layton and watch while they performed surgery.’
She told Layton he ‘didn’t deserve to know about a boy you showed no remorse over’ and nothing will take away from the ‘trapped screams’ in her heart.
‘This is now my life going forward, trying to heal the wounds unseen,’ she said.
‘So you see, no justice will be served in my eyes as I am left with a lifetime without him, and I’m the one who has to try and rebuild a family you broke.’
Layton’s dad, Stephen Darwood, said his life changed forever on the day he lost his ‘best friend’.
‘I have nearly lost everything, I have lost my job, I could not get out of bed due to PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], depression and anxiety,’ he said.
‘I hope other people who learn of Jacques’s sentencing will think before they do the same thing and hopefully this will act as a deterrent.’
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