Latvian driver jailed for nine years after fleeing UK following schoolboy's death

A speeding driver who evaded capture for more than two years after killing a 12-year-old boy in a hit-and-run collision has been sentenced to nine years and four months in prison. Aleksanders Dolars, 23, struck Keaton Slater at 75-76mph in a 30mph zone in Coventry on 14 June 2024, before fleeing to his native Latvia. According to BBC News, he was finally brought to justice in August 2026 following a determined campaign by Keaton's parents to secure his extradition.

Judge Kristina Montgomery KC imposed the sentence at Warwick Crown Court on 13 November 2026, telling Dolars:

Your selfish and dangerous driving took his life.

The judge also disqualified him from driving for 16 years. Dolars pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared before the court following his extradition from Latvia, where the absence of a post-Brexit treaty had initially prevented his return to face justice.

The collision and its aftermath

Keaton, a devoted Coventry City supporter, was travelling home from school with friends when he stepped out onto Radford Road after getting off a bus. The court heard he would not have seen Dolars' BMW approaching at that moment. As the vehicle approached, he attempted to run out of its path but was struck. According to the Independent, the collision threw Keaton into two parked cars, and the court heard he was likely killed instantly.

Dolars did not stop at the scene. Instead, he bowed his head throughout the hearing and fled to Latvia within days of the incident. The judge noted during sentencing that it was clearly not a momentary lapse of attention, as immediately before the collision he had been seen cutting in front of cars by using the wrong lane at traffic lights.

The family's fight for justice

When it emerged that Dolars was hiding in Latvia, Keaton's parents embarked on a determined campaign to bring him back to face the consequences. They were supported by Taiwo Owatemi, the MP for Coventry North West, and met with the Latvian ambassador to secure his return. Latvian authorities said a legislative amendment was needed to remove the legal barrier to extraditing Latvian citizens; after the change, a Latvian court ruled Dolars had a case to answer in the UK and allowed his extradition.

In August 2026, Dolars was finally extradited and brought before Warwick Crown Court. It had initially been thought he could not be compelled to attend the sentencing hearing, but Owatemi said the judge had ordered him to appear in person following representations to the justice minister on the family's behalf. The court heard that Dolars asked in September whether he had to attend sentencing; the judge ordered him to appear in person.

Keaton's life and legacy

Keaton's mother Louise Slater described her son as

funny, caring, loving and full of life

and said he

loved football more than anything.

She told the court:

When Keaton walked out of our door that day, we expected him to come home. We never imagined that we were watching him leave for the last time. It is not only Keaton who died that day. A part of all of us as a family died with him. Our lives changed forever, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Louise also read out a letter Keaton had written on his first day of secondary school, addressed to his future self. In it, he spoke about his dream of playing for a football team and passing his GCSEs—aspirations that would never be realised.

Keaton's brothers also gave statements to the court. Kai said:

Losing Keaton has left a space in my heart that can never be filled. Keaton's death didn't just take away my little brother - I'll never get to see the man he would be. Knowing that someone could leave the scene after what happened, I will never understand.

Josh, Keaton's half-brother, said he

struggled to comprehend

what happened and was angry Keaton had been taken away.

The defendant has left a trail of destruction that cannot be repaired and will be with us forever,

he added.

The parents' response and Dolars' motivation

Speaking after they left court, Keaton's family expressed their dissatisfaction with the sentence. His father said:

They gave him the maximum they could but it's not enough is it?

Louise noted that as Dolars would only serve two-thirds of his sentence in prison, he would be released after approximately six years.

I know afterwards he can't drive,

she added.

That's good to know - he's not going to be on the roads doing it to another family. To be in prison for six years, I think he should've got longer. My baby only had 12 years on this planet.

Dolars said he fled because he was scared of what may happen to him in jail, according to court proceedings. The judge told him during sentencing:

You must have known you had struck a pedestrian. You must have realised he would have been gravely injured.

The investigation and extradition challenges

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Lewis, who led the investigation, said:

Keaton was a 12-year-old boy, making his way home from school, and he should have been able to arrive back safely.

She described how Dolars had been

travelling at excessive speed and rather than stop and help Keaton he just left and tried to avoid capture.

She added that bringing him to justice had been

extremely complex,

but

through plenty of persistence, hard work and patience we finally got there.

The case highlighted the complications arising from the UK's departure from the European Union. The absence of an extradition treaty between Latvia and the UK post-Brexit meant that Dolars could initially evade justice in his home country. The legal barriers were only overcome after Latvia amended its legislation to allow the extradition of its own citizens in serious criminal cases, demonstrating the significant obstacles the Slater family had to overcome in their pursuit of justice for their son.