Speeding driver, 31, killed elderly pedestrian, 72, and ran over body to escape

A speeding driver is facing jail after he knocked over and killed an elderly pedestrian before running over his body to escape.

Anop Singh, 31, fled home from the scene in a black Volkswagen Golf with the windscreen smashed after killing 72-year-old John ‘Frank’ Heneghan on 12 August 2017.

Mr Heneghan had been visiting London on holiday from Ireland and was out drinking Guinness with two friends, Michael Herlin and Gerry Rafferty.

After closing time they took a bus from Tottenham to Stamford Hill and Mr Heneghan got off alone on High Road Tottenham.

Mr Herlin told Wood Green Crown Court in a statement: “The next thing I heard was a screeching noise, really loud.

“Almost instantly I saw something flying past the screen. I didn’t know what it was.

"The bus driver stopped and everyone got off and the driver said I think that’s your mate.

"When we saw Frank there was nothing we could do, the police were there."

In another statement, Mr Rafferty described the moments after the crash and when he realised his friend had been struck down.

He said: "Everyone on the bus was looking over. I heard people gasping in disbelief and then I saw a body flying across.

"I saw a car, not sure what it was, maybe a black Golf. I saw the car pause for a brief moment and then it drove over the person to get away.

"By the time I got to the person, someone was near them on their knees calling an ambulance. Then I realised it was Frank."

Mr Heneghan was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics shortly before 2am.

Singh suffered a black eye in the collision and drove home from where he later called police saying his rented VW Golf was sitting damaged on his driveway.

He said he had no knowledge of how it got there, despite having the keys, and claimed to have been asleep in the back seat at the time of the crash.

When paramedics treated his eye they found tiny shards of glass stuck in his skin.

Singh, of Jessam Road, Clapton, was convicted of one count of death by dangerous driving and one count of driving dangerously.

He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice at an earlier trial linked to the case.

He will be sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court tomorrow.