Driver, 60, faces life sentence for mowing down boy, 15, on a stolen e-bike

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

Terrence King, 60, deliberately hit 15-year-old Devon Simmonds-Caines with his car, ploughing into him at almost double the speed limit.

Devon, who was riding a stolen e-bike, suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene on Rowrah Crescent in Langley, Middleton, on July 22 last year.

King claimed that he only wanted to ‘block in’ the bike to stop it and that he had no intention of harming the teen.

King first stood trial in January, when jurors were deadlocked and could not agree on a verdict. In the aftermath of the jury being discharged, King, of Castlerigg Drive, Middleton, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

After a re-trial, King has been found guilty of murder. He faces a life sentence and will learn his fate at a later date.

The public gallery was filled with Devon’s family. There were loud screams from the gallery after the verdict was announced.

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.’

Prosecutor Michael Hayton KC said that Devon’s death was ‘caused by the deliberate actions of the defendant Terence King who, in temper or outrage’, made a ‘conscious and deliberate decision to drive towards Devon and to steer towards him at speed and to collide with him’.

Mr Hayton said that Devon suffered serious injuries which proved ‘unsurvivable’, and that he was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.20pm that day.

Mr Hayton said that footage showed no brake lights being activated on the Vauxhall.

The e-bike, which Devon was riding when he was hit, had been ‘robbed’ earlier that day by Devon and another youth, when the owner of the e-bike had been ‘physically dragged’ off it, the court heard.

Giving evidence in his defense, King estimated that he had been driving at about 30 to 40mph prior to the crash, which the court heard was about ‘twice the speed limit’ for the road. The defendant accepted that he didn’t brake.

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.’ The defendant said he did not intend to kill Devon, did not intend to cause him any injury at all and added that he didn’t want to damage the bike.

Following the crash, King said he did not know what had happened. Jurors heard that he ‘collapsed like a sack of potatoes’ after initially getting out of the car.

Asked why he did so, King said: ‘Because I saw Devon.’

Sobia Ahmed, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘Terrence King was enraged when he saw Devon Simmonds-Caines on the stolen e-bike. Rather than contacting the police, King deliberately took matters into his own hands and drove directly at Devon, at speed, with fatal consequences.

‘He claimed that he had no intention to hit the teenager, but this was rejected by the jury when they found him guilty of murder.

‘Devon was a 15-year-old boy with his whole life ahead of him. My thoughts are with Devon’s parents who must bear this unimaginable loss.’