THIS is the chilling moment a thug fled after mowing a mum down with a Mercedes and leaving her to die in a hit and run just before Christmas.
Police CCTV footage has been released of John Brazil escaping after hitting his victim while driving at twice the speed limit.
John Brazil was seen fleeing on foot after parking his hit and run car
Brazil has now been jailed almost ten years for killing a mum
CavendishVictim Anne Jones was described by family as ‘loving and generous’[/caption]
Brazil, who was banned from the road at the time, has now been jailed for nine years and nine months for causing the death by dangerous driving of “loving and generous” Anne Jones, 60.
Her devastated family packed Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester for 28-year-old Brazil’s sentencing.
His trial heard told Brazil was “showing off” to a female friend in a Mercedes A180 which he was driving at up to 60mph in a 30mph zone in Rochdale on December 19 2021.
Greater Manchester Police revealed footage of the moments before the collision, as Mrs Jones crossed the road – as well as clips showing the car speeding away.
Brazil can then be seen parking the Mercedes in a car park 700m away and fleeing on foot.
Mrs Jones was left lying on the roadside, with husband Mark and two friends rushing to try to help.
She died almost instantly from her injuries.
Brazil, from Rochdale, had been banned for dangerous driving in 2016 after leading police on an 82mph car chase then crashing with three passengers inside.
He still did not have a licence at the time of the Christmas 2019 tragedy after failing to complete a retest.
But he got behind the wheel of the Mercedes owned by a friend with whom he was staying, prosecutor Harriet Tighe told this trial.
He later returned to their home “crying” and looking “scared”, the Manchester Evening News reported.
Ms Tighe said he told his friend: “I’ve hit somebody, I’ve hit somebody.”
She said he had been “showing off” to a female passenger in the car while speeding, ahead of the fatal collision.
Brazil handed himself in the following day at Bury Police Station, where he told cops: “It wasn’t my fault – she just ran out.”
But his trial was told Mrs Jones would likely have survived were he travelling at 30mph.
She, her husband and another couple had been on their way to a booked meal at an Indian restaurant.
This tragedy was wholly avoidable
Judge Bernadette Baxter
Brazil, father of a three-year-old son, wept in the dock as he was sentenced.
Judge Bernadette Baxter told him: “You should not have been on the road at all.
“Had you been travelling at the correct speed, Mrs Jones would not have lost her life.
“This tragedy was wholly avoidable, had you complied with the law, but you chose not to.”
After the sentencing, Mr Jones said the world had lost “the most loving and generous person imaginable”.
He added: “Every day since, and for the rest of our lives, Anne’s family and friends will mourn her passing.
“The world and the lives of everyone who knew her will never be as happy as they could have been with Anne in it.
“Nothing the court did today will ever ease the loss our family suffers every day.
“Nothing will bring Anne back and we as a family will have to live with that fact forever.
“It is therefore irrelevant what happens to the man that killed Anne because no sentence could even begin to correct the devastation he has caused.”
GMP’s Police Sergeant Louise Warhurst said: “It has taken more than two years to get to this point, but I hope the conclusion of this case will bring Anne’s family some form of closure.
“Anne was a loving wife and a devoted mother and that evening she should have been enjoying time spent with her husband and friends at Christmas.
“The pain and suffering Anne’s family have endured is unimaginable and our thoughts remain with them.
“I would like to thank them for their support, their strength and their bravery throughout this investigation and particularly during proceedings at court, which I know will have been some of the hardest days in their lives.
“Brazil was aware that he had hit Anne and rather than stop to help her, he chose to drive away and leave her to die in the road.
“I want to thank all of our officers who have been involved in this case and who have played an important role in putting Brazil safely behind bars.”
CCTV showed Brazil driving at 60mph in Rochdale, twice the speed limit
He fled to a nearby car park after hitting Mrs Jones as she lay dying in the road
CavendishDad-of-one Brazil was already banned from driving when he hit Mrs Jones[/caption]
CavendishShe and husband Mark were on a night out with friends when she was killed[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
