The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene
A driver who hit and killed a pedestrian before fleeing the scene has been sent to prison. Marcin Pilarski, 36, hit Sam Pope, 28, as he walked along Oil Mills Road in Ramsey Mereside just before 11pm on May 11, 2024.
It was only reported to police when another driver saw Mr Pope, of Lincoln Road, Peterborough, lying in the road and called 999. But despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he was declared dead at the scene.
Paying tribute to him at the time, Mr Pope’s family said: “Sam was a free spirit, who liked to live his life at 100mph and believed that rules were meant to be broken.
“We shall miss his smile and crazy sense of humour that would always make you laugh, despite what mood you were in that day. Sam was a rough diamond with a heart made of gold and will leave a big hole in our lives.”
At around 11.40pm on the same evening, police were called by Pilarski’s partner, who told them he’d returned home in her Vauxhall Astra which was badly damaged. She reported that it had a smashed windscreen and headlamp and that there was blood on the front of the car.
She said they lived around 15 minutes, or 9.5 miles from the scene of the crash. When police visited the address, they also saw the damaged car, and Pilarski, of Sorrell Avenue, Whittlesey, was arrested in relation to the fatal crash.
In a statement, Pilarski’s partner said that he had called her at 11pm and told her he had “hit or killed somebody” who was in the road, but she had to end the call becasue he was screaming. When he returned home, she told him they needed to call the police, and he said, “I know”.
In police interview, Pilarski answered no comment to most questions, but later pleaded guilty to causing death by driving without a licence or insurance. He was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on September 17 to one year and three months in prison. He has also been disqualified from driving for four years and six months.
In a victim impact statement taken into consideration by the court, Mr Pope’s family said they were angry that Pilarski didn’t seem remorseful and hadn’t apologised for his actions.
The statement added: “We hope the memory of the night keeps him up at night like it does us. I don’t really know how as a family we will ever come to terms with this.”
Detective Inspector Craig Wheeler, who investigated, said: “Pilarski made a conscious decision to drive his partner’s car without a licence or insurance. He should never have put himself behind the wheel of a car and my thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Mr Pope, who needlessly lost his life at such a young age.
“No sentence will ever ease the pain of their loss, but I hope the case acts as a stark reminder against getting behind the wheel while uninsured or without a licence. Just one journey could end in tragedy.”
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