Crown appeal 'unduly lenient' sentence for killer hit-and-run driver

Robyn Fryar died three hours after being hit by Gatti's car

Prosecutors are appealing the sentence of a hit-and-run driver who killed a teenager on the grounds it was "unduly lenient".

Robyn Fryar, 15, died in hospital three hours after she was critically injured crossing a road in Paisley last July.

Last month Shaun Gatti, 21, was jailed for five years and three months.

However in a letter to Paisley MP George Adam solicitor general Alison Di Rollo QC confirmed an appeal had been lodged.

The schoolgirl's parents, Iain Fryar and Cheryl Madden, previously said they felt let down by the Scottish justice system and branded the sentence "pathetic".

Ms Di Rollo said the family had been informed of the decision and would be kept informed of the progress of the appeal.

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Mr Adam welcomed the development, which follows an online petition signed by more than 7,000 people, and said he hopes it results in a longer sentence for Gatti.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: "For me and for many of the people in Paisley that have approached me about this case it is a step in the right direction.

"It gives us a wee bit of hope that we will be able to get some justice for this family."

Gatti admitted causing the schoolgirl's death by dangerously driving his Volkswagen Golf after consuming alcohol.

He also pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at the High Court in Glasgow to failing to stop after the fatal crash.

The court heard Gatti hid his smashed car under a tarpaulin but it was found by police after an anonymous tip-off.

The 15-year-old was struck as she crossed Glenburn Road in Paisley

In July Mr Fryar told Drivetime he drove to the hospital after he got a phone call from his niece and arrived as Robyn was being taken out of the ambulance.

He said: "It's the most heart-wrenching, terrible, horrible thing.

"To see your daughter in a hospital bed, lying dead, and to hold your daughter...that night will just never leave you."

Ms Madden added: "Our lives have been destroyed."

The couple said Gatti's attempt to cover up his crime and his lack of remorse have compounded their agony.