Ryan Glanfield has been jailed for seven years after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after he crashed a moped he was driving.
He then ran off, leaving his severely injured friend who had been riding pillion in the road.
It all happened on 3 January, when Glanfield, 27, of Victoria Road, Bedford, crashed a moped, stolen two weeks before, into a 4×4 on Bedford Road, Kempston.
Read: Man dies after serious collision in Kempston
His passenger, Nylo Markham, 18, and also from Bedford, was severely injured in the crash and taken to hospital but later died.
The court heard that following the crash, Glanfield even searched Markham’s pockets and took both crash helmets before running off.
But police found Glanfield’s identification card, linking him to the incident.
During the trial at Luton Crown Court, witnesses stated Glenfield was riding the moped well above the speed limit in a bus lane when it crashed into a white 4×4.
The two people in the car were uninjured.
When he was arrested a few days after the crash, Glenfield simply said ‘no comment’ to all questions.
He also couldn’t explain his injuries which included a black eye, grazes to his wrist, elbow, shoulder blade, hip and ankle.
In summing up, Her Honour Judge Mensah said: “You chose to drive on this occasion, you were travelling way too fast for the conditions. Your actions were truly shocking.”
Sergeant Mark Dollard from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “Nylo Markham was a young man with his whole life ahead of him, who did not deserve to be left dying at the roadside by a so-called friend.
“Glanfield has never accounted for his actions and has forced Nylo’s family to endure a trial. I would like to thank them for their dignity and hope that this verdict allows them to have some sense of justice. This case should serve as a warning that driving with a total disregard for others has life-changing consequences.”
Glanfield was also banned from driving for eight-and-a-half years following his prison term.
