Maldon: Mechanic Jailed Over Boy Death

A garage worker has been jailed for six and a half years for killing a young boy in Maldon while driving a customer's Porsche 911.

Eight-year-old Ryan Fleming died in hospital after being hit by the sports car as he crossed the A414 at Heybridge on January 15th last year.

Tyre-fitter Gary Reader, 32, was jailed at Chelmsford Crown Court after admitting causing death by dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking last month.

Timothy Smith, 19, of Little Baddow, also admitted aggravated vehicle - he was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

In a statement, the family said: "We are all stuck for words. They say time will heal, but neither time nor reason will change the way we feel. Behind our smiles, lie empty eyes and broken hearts. It is very hard for us to come to terms with Ryan’s death.

"Justice has today been served on Gary Reader and Timothy Smith. They will have to live with their actions for the rest of their lives. They killed a very precious family member; a family which now lives without seeing or hearing Ryan again."

Ex-Kwik Fit apprentice Timothy Smith who was the passenger in the Porsche, was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicle taking.

Passing sentence, Judge Charles Gratwicke told Reader the consequences of his dangerous driving were "horrifying".

He said: "This was not your vehicle, it was not a vehicle that you drove frequently or were experienced with.

"Therefore there followed, as this court has heard, a course of persistent dangerous driving, with you flagrantly disregarding the rules of the road and having a complete disregard of the danger to other road users that you posed as you drove that vehicle at speed along the highway."

Reader, of Tiptree, shook his head slightly as he was led away to begin his sentence.

As Smith was led down to the cells, one of his relatives shouted after him, "Love you, Tim".

From the other side of the courtroom a member of Ryan's family called back: "We love our Ryan more. We won't see Ryan again, but you'll get to see him again."

The owner of the silver Porsche 911 Carerra took it to the Kwik Fit garage in Maldon on the morning of Saturday January 15th last year to have the rear tyres replaced, the court heard.

Just before 2.30pm Reader announced he was going to take the sports car for a drive, and set off with Smith in the passenger seat.

Witnesses described seeing the Porsche being driven "aggressively" and "at a stupid speed", accelerating and then braking hard. Some estimated it was travelling at over 80mph.

A woman filling up her car at a Tesco petrol station saw Smith "laughing and jumping up and down" in the passenger seat and told police she was in no doubt that the two men were "larking around".

Another witness told officers she said to herself: "They're driving like idiots, they're going to kill someone."

Prosecutor Andrew Jackson told the court: "It was no more and no less than a joyride."

Ryan, from Heybridge, his older brother Sean and a friend set out that day for their boxing club, but the instructor told them it was cancelled so they went to a McDonald's restaurant instead.

Witnesses said they saw the three young boys standing at the side of the A414 waiting to cross the road.

Moments before the collision, motorist Richard Waylen heard a loud roar from the Porsche as though the driver of the sportscar had "floored the accelerator".

"Mr Waylen immediately saw what he thought was a bag flying in the air. It wasn't - it was Ryan," Mr Jackson said.

The young boy, who was only 4ft 8ins tall, hit the Porsche's windscreen and was thrown an estimated 49 metres by the force of the collision, the court heard.

An expert estimated that the high-performance car was travelling at between 50 and 76mph when it hit Ryan, who would have died almost instantly. The speed limit on that stretch of the road was 50mph.

When he was arrested and interviewed by police Reader claimed he took the Porsche out to get a special tool to change its tyres, but the prosecution said this implement was available at his own garage.

He told officers he was driving at 40mph, adding: "Anyone who saw me that day would have thought I was a good driver."

Smith, of Maldon, told police he felt "nervous" in the car because of Reader's speed and asked him to slow down several times.