Drug dealer jailed for teen hit and run

Charlie Stray was jailed for more than six years at Northampton Crown Court

A drug dealer who injured a teenager while trying to escape police has been jailed.

Charlie Michael Raymond Stray, of no fixed abode, hit a 15-year old boy at 60mph (97km/h) while driving a stolen car in Kettering, Northamptonshire.

The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to seven offences including dangerous driving, failing to stop after a collision, driving without insurance, assault causing actual bodily harm and possession with intent to supply heroin.

Stray was jailed for six years and three months and disqualified from driving for more than five years.

'Dangerous and reckless'

Officers had been alerted to the silver Vauxhall Astra through automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) on 27 April, and began pursuing the vehicle from Linden Avenue into St Mary's Road.

Stray, driving at speeds of up to 60mph in a 30mph zone, hit the teenager as he crossed London Road, causing him to somersault over the car before landing on the road.

Police said that Stray failed to stop and later abandoned the vehicle near Kettering railway station, attempting to flee across tracks before being arrested.

During a search, officers said they found 13 wraps of heroin hidden in Stray's sock and a phone recovered near the car contained evidence linking him to drug dealing.

Speaking after the sentencing, lead investigator Det Con Vicky Wiley said: "This traumatic incident continues to cause issues for the teenager, physically and mentally.

"Although the court result won't change this, I hope that he can take some solace from the sentence, and it can aid his recovery.

"I also hope that Stray is aware that his dangerous and reckless use of the roads that day put the lives of innocent people at risk.

"It was through sheer luck that his actions did not leave a family grieving for their loved one."

Stray was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on 12 November.