Man, 51, charged over hit and run death of 12-year-old boy in Co Down
A 51-year-old man has been charged over the hit and run death of a young boy in Portaferry.
The 12-year-old boy died in hospital from injuries he received in the crash, which happened shortly after 11pm in the Strand area of the coastal Co Down town on Tuesday night (9th).
A PSNI spokeswoman said the man, who has not been named, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, and other driving-related offences.
The man is due to appear before Newtownards Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
“As is usual procedure, all charges are reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service,” said the spokeswoman.
The boy died after a red Skoda Fabia collided with the e-scooter he was riding.
In the wake of the boy’s death, councillor Joe Boyle, who lives in the coastal town, said Portaferry has been in “deep mourning”.
“It is an absolute tragedy whenever such an incident takes place, affecting so many families within the community, but more so when it involves such a young person,” he said.
“As everyone looks forward to school holidays, families are confronted with such a tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
“Portaferry is a strong community and we will comfort each other by helping the families through, where we can, what is an extremely difficult situation.”
The tragedy happened just minutes after a 16-year-old girl was killed in a separate collision in Bangor, around 40 minutes away from Portaferry.
Jaidyn Rice was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision.
Area mayor Gillian McCollum said of the two deaths: “The whole borough grieves with both these families and offers its thoughts, prayers and heartfelt sympathies.”