Driver who killed child tells victim’s family ‘life goes on’

WARNING: This post contains language some readers may find offensive. 

TORONTO – A UK driver who ran over and killed a five-year-old boy while travelling twice the speed limit reportedly argued with the victim’s family outside court before telling them: “S**t happens, life goes on.”

On Friday, a jury found 31-year-old Wayne Payne guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced to five years in prison Monday. A judge bailed Payne on “compassionate grounds” for the weekend so that he could see his two daughters before serving his sentence.

When the driver encountered the victim’s family outside the court,  The Birmingham Mail reports it was then that Payne argued with the family before uttering the words and walking away.

Cameron Ward and his family returned from an Easter party last April when he was struck by Payne’s blue Vauxhall Vectra. Payne is said to have been driving at 100 km/hr in a 50 km/hr zone and did not brake when he hit the rear of the bike Ward was sitting on. The impact sent the child into the air.

The boy’s bike was being pushed by his father as they crossed the road while his mother and four-week-old sister walked ahead. Ward’s father was also injured in the incident.

“You were let out on trust by me for the weekend and the fact that you behaved in that way is a very unfortunate state of affairs,” Judge Stuart Rafferty told Payne Monday.

In a victim impact statement, Ward’s mother said her son’s birth was the happiest day of her life.

“My heart breaks every time that I think about him,” she said. “Nothing is the same, nobody is the same and everybody hurts. We love and miss him so much.”

Payne was sentenced to five years in prison and was also banned from driving for five years.

Follow @ireneogrodnik