Jail for hit-and-run man who killed Staffordshire girl
A man who killed a 17-year-old girl in a hit-and-run after failing to stop for police has been jailed for eight years.
Barry Hardy, 25, of Cheadle, Staffs, admitted causing the death of Jessica Harrison by dangerous driving.
Hardy, who was seen without a seatbelt on, drove from the scene of the crash at Cheadle in January, police said.
At Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, he admitted failing to stop, driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
The teenager, from Cheadle Road, Tean, was walking to meet her father when Hardy's Ford Escort hit her in Mill Road on 17 January, police said.
The Staffordshire force said that before the collision, Hardy had been flashed to pull over by police officers because he was not wearing a seatbelt.
Hardy, of Leek Road, failed to stop and then hit Jessica before driving from the scene of the crash, it added.
Ch Supt Jon Drake, from North Staffordshire division, said: "Hardy's dangerous driving led to the totally needless death of a young woman with her life ahead of her.
"Our heart goes out to Jessica's family and friends today as they try to rebuild their lives."