Jason Diprose received 300 hours community service after admitting driving without due care and attention when he appeared before Lancaster magistrates on Wednesday.

He also admitted failing to stop after an accident and failing to report it.

Diprose had twice driven over Casey O'Callaghan after hitting him as he crossed the street.

After the case, Gordon O'Callaghan, 44, said: "It's an absolute outrage, it's just sickening beyond belief. There was no remorse, that man is a coward.

"Is that all my son's life is worth? We are the ones who have to live
with this for the rest of our lives. I just wanted justice and it wasn't done. He has got away with it and it's just not right."

Casey's mum Jennifer, 31, added: "Our son's life was worth more than community service. It's an insult."

Magistrates heard that Casey died after being run down in Ryelands Road by a Renault Megane driven by Diprose on July 17.

Diprose, 21, of Austwick Road, Lancaster, was reversing the car down the one-way street when he hit and drove over the child, who had been crossing the road from a playground to his house.

Diprose stopped, but then drove the car forward over the child.
Witnesses said he then parked the car, walked past Casey's lifeless body and darted into a nearby house.

He told the police about the accident a week later following widespread publicity.

At the time, Diprose had only a provisional licence. He had only had one formal driving lesson and had taught himself to drive on a beach.

Casey had been playing with friends in the playground opposite his Ryelands Road home shortly before the accident.

Witnesses told police they had heard a car engine being 'revved' before hearing a bang and seeing the car rise into the air as it drove over an object in the road, then stopping before driving forwards over it again.

Witnesses also saw a passenger leave the car and then jump over a fence into a nearby house.

An ambulance was called to the scene and Casey was taken to hospital but later died.

Accident investigators said Diprose's view of Casey may have been obscured by the car's rear seat head rests, although the front window was wound down which could have aided visibility.

Prosecuting, Mr John Beggs said when Diprose was asked why he took a week to hand himself in, he said he "needed to sort his head out and think about what had happened".

"This has had a profound and everlasting effect on Jennifer O'Callaghan and her family," Mr Beggs added.

Defending, Mr Graeme Tindall said Diprose accepted he shouldn't have been in the vehicle.

"He accepts that he didn't stay at the scene," Mr Tindall said. "He can only apologise for those actions now. He was in a state of panic and it took him some time to collect his thoughts. He made a serious error of judgement initially."

Diprose was jailed for eight months last year for perverting the course of justice. He had asked the owner of the car to take the blame for the accident.

On Wednesday he was also banned from driving for five years and ordered to pay £120 court costs.

There was no separate penalty for earlier offences of driving without a licence, insurance or MOT.

Magistrates chairman Mr Malcolm Lowe said: "Our hands are somewhat tied to the limit of the sentence we can impose."