Driver, 60, Faces Life Sentence For Mowing Down Boy, 15, On A Stolen E-Bike

A driver who ran over a teenage boy because of his ‘temper’ has been found guilty of murder.

Terrence King, 60 deliberately drove his car into 15-year-old Devon Simmonds-Caines, who was riding a stolen e-bike on Rowrah Crescent in Middleton, Greater Manchester.

The teen had stolen the £3,000 e-bike from King’s son earlier in the day, and instead of calling 999, King pursued the teenager and intentionally steered his Vauxhall Insignia onto the pavement at nearly twice the speed limit, hitting the boy without applying his brakes.

Simmonds-Caines (above) suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene.

While King admitted to manslaughter, he denied murder, claiming he only meant to “block in” the bike. Jurors rejected his account, convicting him of murder following the retrial.

Explaining his actions, King told jurors: ‘I made the decision to try and block the bike in. I was trying to move behind the bike or the side of the bike.’

Asked why he didn’t brake, King replied: ‘I don’t know.’

Apparently he ‘collapsed like a sack of potatoes’ after stepping out of his car and realising what he had done.

Simmons-Caines and another youth had stolen the e-bike from King’s son, having ‘physically dragged’ him off it. You can obviously understand why King would be violently angry about this, but at the end of the day, he dealt with it in terribly, and didn’t stop to think about the worst case scenario, which is exactly what he got.

King faces a life sentence and will learn his fate for sure on July 23.

In a tribute to Devon released after his death, his family said: ‘Devon was an outgoing, bubbly person who always kept himself motivated even when he didn’t want to be. Devon loved everyone who loved him and showed respect to everyone who respected him.

‘He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and only wanted the best for everyone around him. When he would love, he would love really hard. He wasn’t a show-off kid and kept himself to himself.

‘We as a family are grateful for the tributes being made to Devon and would like to thank the local communities for their support, from both those who knew Devon and those who didn’t. We want peace and to remember Devon calmly, surrounded by his loved ones.

‘This has shocked the whole family. It was a tragic incident that should never have happened, and we don’t want to tarnish Devon’s legacy.’

For the absolute hero of a woman who stopped an e-bike thief by dragging him to the floor as he tried to speed off, click HERE.