BMW driver jailed after speeding and killing teenager in Heath Road, Coxheath
At his sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court today (June 16), it was said how he was picked up on CCTV overtaking another vehicle at speed moments before the crash. The court was told that Kieran, who was on an e-bike, and another boy were in the wrong lane at the time, but they knew they could move onto the pavement to let a car pass. However, as the BMW overtook them, the other boy was clipped first, causing him to fall and hit his head before Kieran was struck from behind, causing him to be "projected" into the air.
Prosecutor Zafreen Chowdhury explained that the then 20-year-old had reached speeds of 82mph in what is a 30mph zone and a narrow, single-carriageway B-road with traffic calming measures. Defending, John Dye said Langley-McColm was "rushing to pick up his mother" - who was jailed in May 2024 for stabbing Maidstone pub landlord[1] Matthew Bryant - when he struck the pair at around 10pm.
He added: "He has no explanation for what happened. It is a very, very unattractive picture of driving and eye-watering speed.
"There is no excuse.
He accepts that more than anyone." Judge Oliver Saxby KC agreed with Mr Dye's description that Langley-McColm's speed was "eye-watering". He added: "To say this was too fast for that road at that location is a very great understatement.
"Driving at that speed was sheer madness and exposed you, your passengers and any road users to very serious danger. "You were travelling far too fast for that road. Your obligation as you overtook them was to accommodate any sudden movements on their part - in short, to pass at a safe distance.
"And, by the same token, they were entitled to assume that overtaking traffic travelling towards them from behind would see them and pass at a distance which catered for any movement."
The court heard that the now 23-year-old had four other people in his car at the time, but none of them mentioned his "excessive speed" in their police statements. Judge Saxby added that one passenger even said Langley-McColm was driving "how he normally drives, which is how everyone else drives", and it was "average" and "casual". The dad-of-one had also been recorded speeding at 69mph in a 50mph zone two days before the fatal crash but had no other convictions or cautions.
Mitigating, Mr Dye said that this was "out-of-character" and Langley-McColm, of Coombe Road, Maidstone, lacked maturity due to his age and had been through trauma due to his mother's arrest.
Nonetheless, he said it was an "unfathomable tragedy" for Kieran's family, and any impact on his client's life would be "incomparable" to that of the 15-year-old's loved ones. He added: "He has always accepted that he has made a monumental mistake that would have longstanding consequences for Kieran's family and himself.
"This is a decent, family man who made a catastrophic error on that night." A letter written by Langley-McColm to Kieran's relatives was also read out, in which he took full responsibility for his actions, which meant the Cornwallis Academy pupil "will never fulfil that potential".
It added: "I cannot begin to understand the depth of your loss.
I do not expect forgiveness. I regret my actions on that night. "This is something I will carry for the rest of my life.
I am so sorry." Sentencing, Judge Saxby said the defendant's driving was "prolonged, persistent and deliberate" and he undertook a "highly dangerous manoeuvre" by overtaking at that speed. He acknowledged that Langley-McColm remained at the scene to help, asked to be remanded in custody following his guilty plea and has shown "empathy and real remorse".
However, he did not believe that his excuse for driving at more than 80mph was that he was late for his mother, but that he was "showing off".
He jailed the young dad for seven years and six months, of which he will serve two-thirds before being released on licence.
The time spent on remand will count towards the sentence. Langley-McColm was also disqualified from driving for six years upon his release. Concluding, Judge Saxby said: "Kieran had his life ahead of him.
Switched on. Responsible. Trustworthy.
Funny. Imaginative. Positive.
Thoughtful. Kind. Caring.
Gentle. A loving son and brother. "His family's lives have been utterly shattered - a void has been left which will never be filled.
"His mother speaks of her life being broken into two, of her heart being completely shattered, of the shudder of dread she often feels.
"His father feels as though his life is over, that it has no purpose - these emotions are echoed by other family members."
Seven victim impact statements were also read to the court, which paid tribute to the "positive" and "funny" teenager[2] Kieran was. His mum, Carol Byrne, said: "It took so long to sink in that he was gone. I did not want to believe it.
I had to relive it every day that he was not coming back, and still have to. "I think about Kieran every single day. There is not a day I do not miss him.
"I cannot stop but think about that night every day.
I wish I had said he could not go out. He was so strong and responsible. "He was always back when he said he would be.
He would text me to tell me where he was and when he was on his way home, until the last time when he could not.
Picture: Sean McPolin
"I wish I could turn back time. I wish he had been annoyed that he could not go out, rather than lose him forever. "It is not just me.
He has left a hole in everyone's lives. We miss his humour and positivity. "My Kieran is dead because of someone else's thoughtless actions.
I will never forgive the driver for what he has done.
"I will never get over what happened to Kieran. His death has left a huge hole, a void that will never be filled." His dad, John Nicholls, added: "I never thought this day would come.
Kieran was never just a son to me; he was my best friend. "My life feels like it is over, like it has no purpose anymore. I so desperately want to be with Kieran again.
"The person responsible for so much misery can carry on his life while my son is in his grave."
References
- ^ jailed in May 2024 for stabbing Maidstone pub landlord (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ paid tribute to the "positive" and "funny" teenager (www.kentonline.co.uk)