Conner Loder died in a car crash in Newcastle in June [Family handout]
A “cowardly” boy racer who ran away, leaving his 15-year-old friend dead in the wreckage of a wrecked car, has been detained.
Newcastle Crown Court heard 16-year-old Billy Conroy crashed into a Mazda6 in Newcastle while fleeing police, leaving passenger Conner Loder with “catastrophic” head injuries Fatally wounded.
Connor’s mother said his death had left her family “torn apart” and the mistake “took his life”.
Conroy, 17, of Ellesmere Road, Newcastle, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for five-and-a-half years.
The court heard Conroy had a history of dangerous driving, leading police on a chase at speeds of 140mph when he was 15.
The car, which he bought illegally for £400 before the fatal accident, was seen driving at high speed around Newcastle with five passengers in the car, gesticulating and gesticulating at people in the hours before the accident Play music loudly.
Prosecutor Emma Dowling said the car’s registration number had also been stolen from another vehicle.
“He is my world”
The court heard that at around 1am BST on June 10, a police officer began following the car after noticing it had no front number plate.
Conroy was traveling at high speed when he ran a red light but lost control, hit the curb and hit the support pole of a Stamford road sign.
Ms Dowling said the driver and two other young men fled, leaving Connor and a 16-year-old passenger with a broken leg.
In a statement read to the court, Connor’s mother said Connor was a “normal teenager” who loved his family and aspired to become a professional video game player.
“He was my world and more,” she said, adding: “I loved him so much.”
She also said he was “not like the other boys in the car” and had “the right upbringing”.
She said other young men were thinking only of themselves and offered no help to her son as they ran away, adding: “I feel sad every day because I know he has no one around him and he must be scared.”
‘Bravado and arrogance’
The court heard Conroy, who has been convicted of offending since the age of 12, led police on a 140mph chase along the A69 to Hexham in August 2023.
In mitigation, the court heard he was “saddened” by the death of his friend and would have to live with the pain for the rest of his life.
Judge Tim Gittins said he “shouldn’t have been driving at all that night” and that “an accident could have happened at any time”.
He said the boy had been seen reaching speeds of 80mph on a 50mph section of the A1 earlier in the evening.
“You were showing off,” the judge said, adding that Conroy “did not have the ability to properly or safely operate such a powerful vehicle.”
He also said it was a “cowardly act” for police to make no effort to help the injured passenger after they found the young man hiding in a cupboard.
He said the teenager’s “bravado and arrogance” were evident and he hoped “every boy racer who thinks dangerous driving is ‘big and cool’ can learn a lesson from Connor’s death.”
Conroy also admitted causing grievous hurt by dangerous driving and driving while disqualified and must extend his license for three years after his release.
He was also banned from driving for eight years and eight months and must undergo extended testing.
Judge Gittins lifted reporting restrictions, allowing Conroy to reveal his identity following an application from the media.
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