Man who killed boy, 10, in crash had tearful five-word message for family
A man who struck and killed a 10-year-old boy while driving at more than double the speed limit sobbed and told his victim's family "I'm really sorry" as he was jailed. "Intelligent, bright and loving" Charlie Lowe died the day after he was hit by a car in front of his devastated mum and younger brother.
Driver John Harkins had been travelling home from work at over 50mph in a 20mph zone when the horror collision occurred. A judge today told him that his actions would "haunt him for the rest of his life".
Liverpool Crown Court heard this morning, Friday, that Charlie's mother Lisa Lowe stopped her Seat Leon on Abingdon Road in Walton shortly before 4.30pm on April 20 last year and parked on the residential side of the street. She then got out of her car and walked over to the passenger's side, opening the door to allow her eight-year-old son out of the front seat. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here.
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Stephen McNally, prosecuting, outlined how she also opened the rear door to let Charlie out of the back of the vehicle. The youngster then began to cross over the road towards the Asda supermarket.
He was said to have "taken but a few steps" into the carriageway when he was struck by Harkins' 23-plate Ford Kuga and "thrown forward by the force of the collision". Charlie was rushed to Alder Hey Children's Hospital's intensive care unit, but his injuries were described as "un-survivable" and he was pronounced dead at 5.40am the following day.
The 35-year-old driver, of Scarisbrick Road in Norris Green, remarked "he just ran out" after stopping at the scene, where he was found to have no trace of drink or drugs in his system. Under interview, Harkins was asked "if he was prepared to answer questions" and replied: "I am. I'll do anything mate, it's a little child. You know what I mean?"
He went on to tell detectives that he had been licenced to drive for seven years and "had no issues and no offences during that period", adding that he "knew the area well and had lived around there all his life". The scaffolder said he had attended a work-related course in North Wales on the day in question and had been on his way home at the time of the accident.
When asked what speed he was travelling at, Harkins responded "I can only suggest the speed limit" and said he "hadn't particularly looked at the display, but was watching the road". When told there was CCTV footage of the incident, the dad-of-three replied that "he was simply unable watch it".
Investigators from Merseyside Police subsequently concluded that his car was travelling at 51mph at the time of the collision and that Charlie was "in the carriageway for less than one second prior to the impact", with a driver's reaction time to such an "unexpected event" being "ordinarily 1.2 to 2.6 seconds". Mr McNally added: "Having assessed the relevant speeds, timings and stopping distances, [force collision investigator] PC [Rachel] Carberry concluded that, had the defendant been travelling at 20mph, the collision would likely have still occurred. However, the impact, of course, would have been significantly different due to that lower speed."
Electronic systems in Harkins' car also suggested that he had been "grossly exceeding the speed limit on 19 occasions" during his journey back to Merseyside. He has "relatively minor matters" on his criminal record, but none for more than 15 years and no previous terms in prison.
Tom Watson, defending, told the court: "This is a crime which led to such dreadful and tragic consequences and took a loving, happy young boy, Charlie, from his family. The defendant knows and publicly recognises that their loss is unimaginable.
"I, on his behalf, recognise that he cannot truly appreciate the depths of their despair and loss. He has, the court may think rightly, attempted to picture himself in their position. He has three children, and one of them is a 10-year-old boy.
"The defendant must now settle down to the prison sentence that he is about to receive. That sentence cannot in any way ever be a reflection of the life lost.
"He recognises that the sentence he must now begin to serve is a sentence that will come to an end. He will be released. There will be no release for the victim, Charlie, and his family.
"He knows that he is not the only one serving a sentence. He knows Charlie's family are serving a sentence. He must carry with him the knowledge of what he has done for the rest of his life, and rightly so."
Harkins admitted causing death by dangerous driving. He was imprisoned for six years and eight months, after which he turned to Charlie's family in the public gallery and tearfully told them: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
Sentencing, Judge Garrett Byrne said: "This is obviously a profoundly sad case where a young boy, only 10 years old, lost his life. Charlie was clearly a much loved child.
"He was intelligent, bright and loving. I cannot imagine for a moment what Charlie's family are going through. The sentence I will pass today can never reflect the loss they have suffered.
"It being 4.30 in the afternoon, you should have expected that there would be children arriving home from school or visiting the nearby supermarket with their parents. When Charlie alighted the vehicle, he took a couple of steps into the road.
"The speed limit in operation on that road was 20mph. The whole purpose was to prevent accidents, to provide a greater reaction time for drivers and to minimise the risk of serious injury following an accident. You were driving at over two-and-half times the permitted speed limit.
"I accept that you are remorseful for what you have done and that this incident will undoubtedly haunt you for the rest of you life. Of course, your incarceration will have a real adverse impact on your own family."
Harkins was also banned from driving for a total of eight years and four months. He will be required to pass an extended retest before he is allowed back on the roads. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.