Police release image of hit-and-run driver who killed "kind" 15-year-old Sheffield United fan

Sheffield Crown Court heard on July 13 how Mitchel Hughes, aged 25, of Lapwater Road, Wingfield, Rotherham, was driving a BMW which struck Ryan Durkin on Brinsworth Lane, Rotherham.

Laura Marshall, prosecuting, said the youngster was subsequently struck by another passing vehicle through no fault of that motorist who stopped at the scene.

Ms Marshall added around 11pm, on April 19, 2019, the defendant had been driving the BMW which had been stolen a week before the collision and it was displaying false number plates.

She said: "At that time in the evening a collision occurred and it was captured on CCTV. Ryan Durkin, 15-years-old, was crossing Brinsworth Lane and was with friends and saw the vehicle approach and the others ran backwards or retreated and Ryan continued to run to get to the other side but unfortunately he was struck by the BMW driven by the defendant.

"Unfortunately, he was struck by another vehicle coming the opposite way at a slow speed. As a consequence of the incident he suffered fatal injuries.”

Police tracked down the vehicle to Hughes’s flat where they were refused entry before they were allowed in.

Hughes’s movements were captured by witnesses and CCTV footage showing him driving the BMW.

Ms Marhsall added Ryan Durkin was struck by the BMW and hit the bonnet, windscreen and the top of the car before he was struck by the second passing vehicle.

A police investigation revealed Hughes, who has been remanded in custody, had been driving at an estimated speed of between 48mph and 60mph in a 30mph zone.

Ryan Durkin died in hospital days later and his mother declined to provide a victim personal statement because she said she could not put into words how she felt but Judge Jeremy Richardson QC acknowledged the collision must have caused “unparalleled devastation within the family”.

Ryan’s mother previously described her son as a kind and considerate youngster who was a Brinsworth Academy student and a Sheffield United season-ticket holder who played football for Phoenix U15s.

Hughes, who has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and admitted breaching a suspended prison sentence previously imposed for trying to take a prohibited article into a prison.

The court heard Hughes had been driving without a licence and insurance, was speeding and failed to stop in a car that had been reported stolen in a burglary and had false number plates.

Hughes also admitted perverting the course of justice concerning another matter from December, 2018, when he had been driving an Audi in Rotherham with false number plates and was unable to produce insurance documents and gave the former owner’s name as his own.

Richard Barradell, defending, said Hughes who expressed remorse had his view obscured before the collision by another vehicle and he panicked and bitterly regrets leaving the scene.

Judge Richardson, The Recorder of Sheffield, told Hughes his behaviour was “deplorable” and “cowardly” and sentenced him to six-years and seven-months of custody and disqualified him from driving for ten-years.