A devastated family have spoken out about their heartbreak after a 13-year-old boy was hit and killed by a car driven by a drunk driver.
Teenager Kaylan Hippsley was struck and fatally injured by a Ford Fiesta driven by Harley Whiteman, 19, on Brecon Road, Hirwaun, Wales, at around 6.15pm on February 29. Kaylan, who was described as a "cheeky guy", suffered multiple fatal injuries. as a result of the collision and died days later in hospital.
A court heard that Whiteman had drunkenly tried to prevent people from treating him while verbally abusing bystanders who tried to save the young boy's life. Kaylan's sister Olivia said in a statement to the court that her brother was a "bright, intelligent" boy who "loved playing rugby and was loved by all who knew him."
READ MORE: Beloved dad, 39, woke up and brushed his teeth - then suddenly fell ill and diedKaylan was standing with his friends outside a Co-op store when he was punched. Despite the efforts of those present, he never regained consciousness as the suspect drove away at high speed.
During a sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Tuesday, April 30, Kaylan and three of his friends were seen on CCTV standing outside the Co-op store. He was wearing a light blue-gray hoodie and his hood was up.
Kaylan's friends saw a Ford Fiesta traveling at a high rate of speed, and some witnesses estimated the vehicle was traveling between 40 and 60 mph. A Citroen car was driving from the opposite direction and parked cars created a narrow gap. Despite this, Whiteman tried to squeeze through, swerving left and right in an attempt to avoid the oncoming car.
Prosecutor Julia Cox said Whiteman's car mounted the curb and hit Kaylan with the side of the Fiesta. The impact threw Kaylan into the intersection of a one-way street, landing on the road 40 feet from the point of impact. After the collision, the suspect did not stop and continued to drive erratically, narrowly avoiding another collision with another car.
Whiteman took the same loop and drove past the scene of the collision while Kaylan was treated by members of the public. He was seen by a man who recognized him, but he left his engine running and sped away when the man tried to take his photo. Whiteman then drove back to his nearby home and his two passengers got out of the car and returned to the scene of the collision, and he made his way there a short time later.
A student nurse was resuscitating Kaylan when the defendant tried to interfere with her. He said, "You think I care about this kid on the ground? Why don't you all just fucking abandon him and stop it." Bystanders tried to get Whiteman away when he became agitated and yelled at a man who asked him about his car. He replied: "I don't know what you're talking about...I don't have a car, I don't even drive." The defendant also offered a fight to a man while Kaylan lay dying in the road.
Police attended and Whiteman had to be restrained when he was arrested, with police believing he was extremely drunk. Ms Cox said the defendant was abusive to police and the public and showed no remorse for his actions, saying: "It was a good show".
He was asked to take a roadside breath test and provide a breath and blood sample, but he refused to do so. When interviewed, Whiteman made no comment, but he later told a probation officer that he had taken a line of cocaine and drank four pints of lager before the collision. CCTV evidence showed Whiteman had been to The Cambrian pub in Aberdare and The Glancynon Inn in Hirwaun, where the landlord described the defendant as drunk and told him to leave due to his behaviour.
Kaylan died in hospital on March 3, without ever regaining consciousness. He was a student of Aberdare Community School and was a keen football and rugby player. He lived with his grandmother Kay Hippsley and lost his father at the age of six. He enjoyed playing with friends in the village and at the YMCA. Kaylan was described as a "cheeky guy" who was "polite, creative and lovely".
'You have shown no remorse. You've ruined far more than one life."
In a victim personal statement read to the court, Kaylan's sister Olivia said: "There are no words I can use to properly describe the enormous horror inflicted on me and my family, and writing it down has caused unimaginable pain... Every time I tried it I was completely overwhelmed. No real justice can be served today. Harley Whiteman took something from our family that can never be given back. We live in fear that we will have to pass him on the street, but we hope that it will last a long time before we have to deal with this.
"Kaylan was a smart, intelligent young boy who had his whole life ahead of him, he loved rugby and was loved by all who knew him. I fell to the floor screaming when I heard the worst news of my life, that Kaylan... .I was hit by a car and my heart broke into a million pieces. This happened in front of his friends who had to watch their friend die in the worst possible way before their eyes (Whiteman) while he barely hurt his friends seriously. ..
"I am 19 years old and spend most weekends with my grandmother, who cannot be alone. Our father unfortunately passed away in 2018, the only thing I had left of my father was my younger brother. Now I have to face grief seeing and bearing this alone... I was hoping to get a job but this is almost impossible because I'm constantly anxious and depressed... I can't pass the place where he was killed, I can't be in a hospital, I I'm afraid that cars drive too fast and don't want to sit in a car myself.
"I can't be alone, if I am my thoughts are 100 miles an hour. I've been sleeping in my mother's bed for weeks, I've lost my appetite and can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see my brother's eyes. I felt guilty like I abandoned him and at the funeral I had to be taken away from there by my family. My grief is suffocating and I feel so alone that I can't breathe feeling guilty for being happy and questioning myself every day, why Kaylan? Why a young boy who didn't do anything wrong? Why not me? I often wish I was gone...
"Kaylan didn't die in a tragic accident, it wasn't until someone took him from us, someone was to blame and responsible, which makes it even worse. That person is you (addressing Whiteman)... You have my man murdered." 13 year old brother who had his whole life ahead of him in the most dangerous situation, driving under the influence with passengers in the car. You have shown no remorse. You have ruined far more than one life and as a result you deserve to face the consequences."
In her statement, Kaylan's grandmother Kay Hippsley said: "Every time I leave the house since this happened, Harley Whiteman's actions have changed my life and will never be the same. Not only did he take my grandson from me, he has ruined a whole multitude." Kaylan came to live with me eight years ago, which was a huge undertaking when I was in my 60s, and I have severe rheumatoid arthritis. We lost his father and my son six years ago. He was a 13 year old boy who will never get the chance to live the life he deserves. A phone call that Kaylan had been hit by a car was devastating and everything changed from that moment on.
"I can't go home to my parents' house. I've only been to the hospital and Kaylan's funeral. I feel like Kaylan's life is ending prematurely, mine too. I have no purpose in my life and I know not how." I will continue. I am so angry and devastated that I cannot put into words how this has affected my life and family. "I cannot live with this and cannot find it in my heart to forgive Harley Whiteman but Kaylan's life is over and our family will carry the grief and sorrow into our dying days."
Whiteman, of Cae Felin Parc, Hirwaun, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and failing to provide a copy. The court found that he previously had good character. In mitigation, James Hartson said his client was unable to explain his actions at the scene of the collision and was "shocked, disoriented and panicked". The lawyer said the defendant's regrets would stay with him for the rest of his life, and that he had lost his own father at the age of five.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins said at sentencing: "(Kaylan) was killed by your blatant and callous disregard for the rules of the road and others around you. (Kaylan's) injuries were described as insurmountable... At the scene your behavior was abhorrent and callous, and when you were arrested you were aggressive, unruly and unrepentant...Anyone who commits such a heinous offense as this commits an offense too serious to be treated with anything other than an immediate prison sentence."
Whiteman was sentenced to six years and nine months in a young offenders institute. He was disqualified from driving for a period of eight years and four months.