Kent Police report a reckless hit-and-run driver who left an 89-year-old grandfather for dead after carrying him nearly a mile on the roof of his car has been locked up for almost ten years.
Albert Matraxhiu, 29, was tearing along the A289 Gads Hill in Gillingham at a lethal 76mph in a 40mph zone when he ploughed into vulnerable pedestrian Tom Wallace at a crossing. Instead of stopping to help, the heartless motorist sped onwards for nearly a mile with the dying pensioner trapped on his vehicle’s roof, before Mr Wallace finally fell off onto Grange Road.
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Albert Matraxhiu
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but despite the best efforts of paramedics and police officers, Mr Wallace was tragically pronounced dead.
In a desperate bid to evade justice, Matraxhiu and his passenger, 30-year-old Erald Paci, dumped their vehicle on nearby Eastcourt Lane and fled into the night. Police launched a massive manhunt using drones and extensive CCTV analysis to track down the fleeing pair, ultimately issuing public appeals with security footage of the suspects.
The net closed in rapidly when Paci turned himself in to a police station that evening, naming Matraxhiu as the man behind the wheel. Matraxhiu surrendered to officers the following day.
Investigators revealed the full, shocking extent of the pair’s cover-up. The men had deliberately stripped off and disposed of the car’s registration plates, their clothing, and their mobile phones in a calculated attempt to throw police off the scent.
Matraxhiu, an Albanian national from Edgware, subsequently pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to causing death by dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without a licence or insurance, and perverting the course of justice.
Appearing before Maidstone Crown Court, the callous driver was jailed for nine years and ten months. He was also hit with a six-year driving ban, which will begin upon his eventual release from prison.
His accomplice, Paci, from Chatham, admitted perverting the course of justice and received a 15-month prison sentence. He walked free from court due to time already served on remand.
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Zoe Wilczek said:
‘Matraxhiu’s dangerous and amoral actions have taken a man’s life and shocked the local community.
‘‘His deliberate and calculated attempts to evade capture and avoid facing the consequences of his actions are evidence of his poor substance of character, and we are satisfied he is facing a long time behind bars.
‘Mr Wallace was much-loved and deeply respected by his family and the community, and we hope today’s sentence brings a sense of justice to all that knew him.’