Man jailed for killing 8-year-old girl while speeding because he was late for work

‘Emily’s brothers and ourselves have somehow got to try to move forward, without our beautiful girl,’ says family

Jon-Paul Caruana has been jailed over the death of Emily Connor (Greater Manchester Police)

A man has been jailed for driving into and killing an 8-year-old girl while he was running late for work, police have said.

Jon-Paul Caruana was sentenced to three years and four months in prison over the death of Emily Connor, who was crossing a road in Salford when Caruana’s car hit her.

The defendant pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, Greater Manchester Police said.

Emily was knocked down while heading to a bus stop with her grandmother in November 2018.

She was holding her grandmother’s hand but let go when a car – approaching at up to 50mph – sounded its horn, according to police.

The vehicle then crashed into the eight-year-old, who was pronounced dead at the scene on Monton Road in Salford, Greater Manchester.

Caruana, 25, was arrested and told officers several times that he had not driven above 30mph before the collision, but an investigation found he had travelled at up to 50mph.

“He was rushing to pick up a colleague to travel to work with after initially having to return home because he had forgotten his security fob,” police said.

Greater Manchester Police said that CCTV footage showed Caruana “overtaking a car at excessive speed” about a mile away from the scene of the crash, and “travelling at speed in the moments preceding the collision”.

His partner – who was in the car along with their four-month-old child at the time – told the colleague that Caruana was “breaking speed barriers” to reach him on time in a Whatsapp message, according to police.

Sergeant Lee Westhead, from Greater Manchester Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “This was a long and complex investigation into a sustained period of dangerous driving over some distance.

“Ultimately, faced with the overwhelming evidence gathered against him, Caruana had to abandon his lies and face up to the enormity of what he had done – all because he was a few minutes late.”

Caruana, of Lawndale Drive, Worsley, was also banned from driving for four years and eight months by a judge at Manchester Crown Court on 28 February.

Emily’s family, who heard the sentencing, said: “We would like to especially thank those who stayed with Emily at the scene. It gave us great comfort knowing you were with her.

“Emily’s brothers and ourselves have somehow got to try to move forward, without our beautiful girl. We hope to live in a way Emily would have wanted us to – with grace and compassion.”