Speeding driver who hit & killed great-grandad carrying him 1.5miles on roof of car before abandoning body is jailed

A SPEEDING driver who ploughed into an 89-year-old great-grandad, carried him on the roof of his car for a mile and dumped his body has been jailed for almost 10 years. Retired dental surgeon Thomas Wallace was crossing a road in Kent just after midday on December 29 last year when he was hit by a grey Mercedes estate car. Thomas Wallace died after being hit by a car four days after Christmas Credit: Kent Police/PA Wire Following the incident driver Matraxhiu fled to an address in Sheffield Credit: Kent Police The court heard Albert Matraxhiu was travelling at an estimated 76.5mph when he smashed into the 89-year-old. The impact hurled Mr Wallace into the air before he landed on the roof of the speeding car. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Horrified witnesses watched as Matraxhiu carried on driving with the pensioner still on top of the Mercedes. Disturbingly Mr Wallace remained on the roof for around a mile before his body was thrown from the car as it turned into a side road – before a postman later found him. Dashcam footage shows the Mercedes speeding Credit: Kent Police Matraxhiu and passenger Erald Paci stripped the car of its number plates before ditching their clothes and mobile phones Credit: Kent Police Instead of stopping, Matraxhiu drove to a rural location where he abandoned the Mercedes. He and front-seat passenger Erald Paci stripped the car of its number plates before ditching their clothes and mobile phones. The court heard Matraxhiu, who had no licence or insurance, then fled to an address in Sheffield. Paci contacted police to hand himself in less than 12 hours after the crash following a media appeal. Most read in The Sun He later showed detectives the route they had taken and where the number plates had been dumped. At Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, Matraxhiu, 29, of Edgware, North London, was jailed for nine years and 10 months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice. Paci, 30, of Chatham, Kent, was sentenced to 15 months for perverting the course of justice. He was released after the hearing because he had already spent enough time on remand. Albert Matraxhiu was sentenced to nine years and 10 months at Maidstone Crown Court for causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice Credit: PA Matraxhiu answered no comment when quizzed by cops Credit: Kent Police Judge Julian Smith, sentencing Matraxhiu, said: “The fact he drove on with Mr Wallace on the roof of the car before abandoning his body and the car aggravates this offending.” The judge said statements from Mr Wallace’s loved ones painted an “extraordinary picture of a full life”. He added: “He grasped life and found the joy in it and clearly took people with him. His legacy is his family.” Mr Wallace’s wife of 64 years, Angela, said in a heartbreaking statement in court that it was “impossible to believe he is not coming back”. She added: “Illegally killing a pedestrian was one thing but driving with Mr Wallace around on the roof of the car and leaving him was cowardly and cruel. It is completely unforgivable. “Tom was a good man, he worked as a dental surgeon all his life, he would do anything for anybody. He did not deserve this end.” Their son James said he felt “deep disgust” towards the defendants for their “failure to stop and help my father”. Daughter Juliet Roma said it was as though her father had been treated as “roadkill”. She said: “My dad dumped like he was no-one, to us he was everything.” Youngest son Peter said the family had watched his father recover from a stroke before his life was cruelly cut short. He added: “We experienced fear of the unknown, my dad being hurt by someone out of sight out of reach, I’ve experienced no terror like it. “A powerful sense of unfairness continues to be hard to shake.” More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us on TikTok @TheSun.