Overview
- Keaton Slater, 12, was struck and killed while walking home from school in June 2024 by a BMW travelling at about 70–75mph in a 30mph zone.
- The driver, 23-year-old Aleksanders Dolars, fled to Latvia after the crash and stayed there for more than two years before legal changes enabled his return.
- Latvia changed its law to remove a nationality bar in July 2026, authorities arrested Dolars, he was extradited to the UK in August, and he pleaded guilty on 3 September 2026.
- On Friday, November 13, 2026, Warwick Crown Court sentenced Dolars to nine years and four months in prison, imposed a 16-year driving ban, and ordered he serve two-thirds of the term before release on licence.
- West Midlands Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Home Office, Latvian authorities, Europol, the JICC and the NCA cooperated on the case and Keaton’s parents led a public campaign that helped prompt diplomatic and legal action and a planned appeal of the sentence.