A joyrider who mowed down famous "Litherland Running Man" David Francis in a late-night hit-and-run cut his hair to disguise himself after his picture appeared in an ECHO appeal.
Lewis Wright, 17, told police he got a haircut because he didn't want people to know who he was after his image was published in connection with the incident, which took place just after 9pm on April 13 2023.
Wright, of Howard Florey Avenue, Netherton, was driving a stolen Audi S8 between 54 and 62mph in a 20 zone when he lost control and ploughed into Mr Francis at the roundabout at the bottom of The Marian Way, Netherton.
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He then fled the scene, leaving the 63-year-old "horribly injured" after being crushed between the car and a concrete wall. Emergency services were called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
He claimed he did not know he had hit Mr Francis until the following day when police reported a man had died. He said: "When I heard that someone had died, I thought it was a lie and that police were just trying to get me to hand myself in."
He did not turn himself in until April 19, one day after his mugshot was published. In a statement, he told police he was sorry for what had happened, and blamed the fatal crash on a brake malfunction - however, an examination found the vehicle was in working order.
At Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, June 30, he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while driving uninsured, causing death while driving without a licence, and taking a vehicle without the owner's consent.
Sentencing Wright to four years in a young offenders institution, Judge Andrew Menary said: "You say you didn't know you had hit someone. That may be correct... But even if you didn't know at the time, you must have found out some time. It was in the local papers the next day and it must have been the talk of the neighbourhood. And yet you didn't hand yourself in to the police for six more days.
"At the time, you had no thought but saving yourself from the carnage you had caused.
"You told police you had attempted to brake when you approached the roundabout. That is plainly nonsense. You were behind the wheel of a fancy and powerful car, had no licence and had never passed a test. You chose to accelerate along the road."
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.
“The victim, David, was very well-known in the area and would regularly be seen doing what he loved which was running and he was affectionately known as the ‘Litherland Running Man’.
“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.
“Also I hope that Wright reflects his time in prison of the fatal consequences and distress he has caused to David’s family.”
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