Two men charged after pensioner killed during hit-and-run in Gillingham
The pedestrian is believed to have been carried on top of the car for a mile
Two men have been charged after a pedestrian in his 80s died when he was hit by a car and carried on top of it for as much a mile.
The incident took place at around 12.10pm on Monday 29 December, with the victim believed to have been struck on the on the A289 Gads Hill in Gillingham, Kent by a grey Mercedes estate.
The man was found on Grange Road in the Medway town, potentially almost a mile or more from where he was hit.
The car was found nearby and the two occupants fled on foot, police said.
Speaking to the BBC, Ralph Belmonte, a resident of Grange Road for 47 years, said a postman discovered the body on the road after having mistaken it for a dummy strapped to the roof of a driving car.
"It was only on his return to drop the rest of the mail off that he saw [the body] on the road and approached it thinking that it might have been a dummy and it could create a problem, an accident.
"And as he went to turn it over, he realised it was actually a body."
He added: "It's as safe as anybody's area really, until something like this happens, you know – everything's safe until becomes unsafe.
"It's not an area known for high crime rate, but it can happen anywhere."
On Friday morning, Kent Police said Albert Matraxhiu, 28, of Orange Hill Road, Edgware, north London, has been charged with death by dangerous driving.
Erald Paci, 29, of Five Way Court, Chatham, Kent, was charged with perverting the course of justice.
The force said both men are Albanian nationals and have been remanded to appear in court on Friday.
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