By Glen Keogh & Danielle Wainwright
A driver who killed a teenage boy but was so drunk he did not even remember what happened was jailed at Bolton Crown Court today.
Steven Quinn, 33, of the Radcliffe area, pleaded guilty to killing Callum Hilton, 16, at an earlier hearing and was jailed for six years and four months.
Police were so disturbed by Quinn’s crime that Detective Inspector Amber Waywell said she did not even want to speak directly about him.
“No words and no sentence can ever bring Callum back,” she said.
“Callum was a young man who was out with his friends and trying to find his way to a party. It is the sort of thing most teenagers do every weekend, but sadly he never returned home to his family.
“Callum’s mum and granddad, who raised him, have suffered an unimaginable loss. A much-loved son and grandson has died in such terrible and tragic circumstances and our thoughts remain with the family as they attempt to come to terms with losing Callum so young.”
Callum was hit by Quinn’s car as he stood on Stand Lane opposite the Hawthorn Hotel in Radcliffe at about 6.25pm on November 3 last year.
He was with three friends who were heading to a party in the area and they were planning to go into the hotel to ask for directions.
As Callum and his friend crossed the road, a silver Peugeot 206, driven by Quinn, hit him at 40mph on the 30mph road – sending Callum flying 15 yards down the road.
The car sped off after the collision.
On the day Callum was hit, Quinn had been drinking while watching football in a Prestwich social club.
He then went to another pub where he had so much lager and vodka that staff refused to serve him anymore because he appeared so drunk.
When he left the pub and got into the Peugeot with his friend, she said she felt unsafe because he was driving and repeatedly told him to slow down.
She then heard a loud bang and asked Quinn what happened, to which he said: “I hit a bollard.”
Sadly, it was in fact the sound of Callum being hit.
DI Waywell wants drivers to stay safe when behind the wheel, or else risk being put behind bars.
She warned: “Anytime you step behind the wheel of a car you have a responsibility to ensure you are safe at all times.
“Every driver has to have 100% concentration; they must adhere to the speed limits and respect the laws of the road. There can be absolutely no room for risks or driving while drunk as that completely impairs your ability to make the right decisions.
“A car can be a lethal weapon and sadly that has been borne out and robbed Callum’s family of a much-loved young man.”
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