A speeding driver who fled to Latvia after killing 12-year-old Keaton Slater in Coventry has been jailed for nine years and four months. Aleksanders Dolars, 23, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court for causing death by dangerous driving, after the court heard he had been travelling at 75 to 76.4mph in a 30mph zone when his BMW struck the boy on Radford Road on 14 June 2024.

Keaton, a devoted Coventry City fan, had just got off a bus and was walking home from school with friends when he stepped onto the road. Prosecutors said he looked left before crossing, but the approaching BMW was out of sight in the right-turn lane. The impact threw him into two parked vehicles, likely killing him instantly. Dolars did not stop, sped away and abandoned his car some seven and a half miles away, before fleeing to his native Latvia within days.S1S2

Because there was no extradition treaty between Latvia and the UK after Brexit, Dolars evaded capture for more than two years. The case was reopened only after a determined campaign by Keaton's parents, who were supported by Coventry North West MP Taiwo Owatemi and who met the Latvian ambassador. Dolars was finally brought to England in August this year and pleaded guilty in September, after a legal change enacted in July made extradition possible.S1S2

Judge Kristina Montgomery KC told Dolars that his grossly excessive speed made a collision unavoidable and that his selfish and dangerous driving had taken Keaton's life. He was also given a 10-year driving disqualification to take effect on his release and must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for release on licence. Keaton's mother Louise described him as funny, caring, loving and full of life, and said the family's lives had changed forever.S1S2