Five years for death crash driver

Anderson was found guilty at the High Court in Kilmarnock

A young man who hit and killed a 12-year-old girl while he was banned from driving has been jailed for five years.

George Anderson, 19, from Linwood in Renfrewshire was convicted last month of causing the death of Suzanne McGuire in December 2002.

He had been banned earlier that year for 18 months for drink driving.

Outside the High Court in Kilmarnock on Friday, the dead girl's father David McGuire said he was disappointed that the sentence was not longer.

In a few minutes of madness you destroyed one life and changed the course of so many others connected with that life Lord Bonomy

The court had heard in February that Anderson was speeding at up to 70mph in a 40mph zone when he hit Suzanne, throwing her into the air and causing fatal injuries.

He made no attempt to stop, abandoned the car and dropped the keys down a drain.

Witness Janet Steele, 55, who was overtaken by Anderson, said: "I thought 'what an idiot'. He was going far too fast.

"I thought I saw something going up into the air - a coat, maybe."

Mrs Steele pulled over and realised it had not been a coat but was the badly injured body of Suzanne.

The youngster was taken to Paisley's Royal Alexander Hospital where she died.

'Grossly irresponsible behaviour'

Anderson was disqualified from driving for eight years.

He admitted driving while disqualified and uninsured, failing to stop and report the accident and fleeing the scene in Kashmir Avenue, Linwood.

Anderson was cleared of two further charges of dangerous driving alleging he had driven "grossly in excess" of speed limits, had overtaken dangerously and forced another driver to take evasive action.

Lord Bonomy said: "You took a young life that was full of promise before it had the chance to flourish with your grossly irresponsible behaviour.

"In a few minutes of madness you destroyed one life and changed the course of so many others connected with that life.

"It is incomprehensible to me you left her, heedless of her plight and embarked on an elaborate scam to conceal your guilt."