Mason Hodgson, 23, regularly took part in competitive driving on public roads and reached speeds of almost 100mph when he struck budding footballer Sam Harding as he stepped into the road
A “boy racer” who attempted to “drive as fast as possible” and hit speeds of almost 100mph before smashing into a budding young footballer has been jailed for eight years.
Mason Hodgson, 23, drove his black Audi S3 to an unauthorised car meet in Warrington, Cheshire, on April 10 2022, when he struck 20-year-old former England Schoolboys player Samuel Harding as he stepped into the road. Samuel, who was thrown 10ft into the air, died a short time later despite emergency services racing to the scene to try and save him, Manchester Evening News reports.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how the car meet was taking place on an industrial estate in Woolston, Warrington. Several hundred people attended, including Samuel, who visited with two pals to look at other cars. Hodgson then decided to ‘drive as fast as possible’ along Kingsland Grange in his black Audi, the court was told.
He reached speeds so high that when Samuel appeared in the road, he was unable to brake in time. Horrifying CCTV footage analysed by police captured him hitting speeds of 97mph in a 30mph zone before the fatal collision.
The impact caused Samuel to be thrown 10 feet into the air and sustain serious head injuries, which he did not survive.
Hodgson was arrested at the scene, and when officers went through his phone, they discovered videos of him regularly travelling at excessive speed and taking part in competitive driving on public roads. Cops also contacted more than 100 witnesses, took statements from 95 people and viewed hundreds of hours of CCTV and mobile phone footage showing the lead-up to the collision.
An expert CCTV analyst was able to prove that Hodgson had reached speeds of between 83 and 97mph while driving along Kingsland Grange. Even after applying the brakes, he was still travelling between 58 and 60mph.
Samuel’s grieving mother Liz told the court: “Unauthorised car meets have to stop. The individuals responsible for organising them need to be identified along with all the drivers who take part.” She broke down in tears giving her statement, during which she questioned how insurance companies allowed the events to take place for a “quick thrill”.
Just days before his death, Samuel had completed the dissertation for his degree in football management and was awarded a 2:1. He was excited to attend his first car meet. Liz added: “One reckless act has left our family with a life sentence of pain that grows deeper every day.”
The court heard Mr Samuel Harding, from Stockport, was a “talented footballer”, coach and mentor to hundreds of children in his local area. More than 20 members of his family were in court for the hearing while Hodgson’s parents and brother sat on the opposite side of the public gallery.
Hodgson was charged with causing death by dangerous driving after earlier pleading guilty to the offence. He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, November 19, where he was jailed for eight years and banned from driving for 10 years and 4 months.
Sentencing him, Judge Neil Flewitt said: “You have an entrenched and cavalier attitude to driving at speed. You made a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road and you showed complete disregard for the risk of danger to others. You travelled at speeds far in excess of the speed limit.”
