Marcia Grant death: Boy, 13, locked up for two years after killing Yorkshire grandmother by running her over in her own car

Marcia Grant, 60, was hit by a car on Hemper Lane, Greenhill, Sheffield on April 5 this year with emergency services being called to the scene at around 7.10pm.

A boy, who was aged 12 at the time of the incident but has now turned 13, was initially charged with Marcia's murder.

Prosecutors subsequently accepted a guilty plea to an alternative charge of causing death by dangerous driving, during a Sheffield Crown Court hearing held on October 3.

During a Sheffield Crown Court hearing, Mrs Justice May sentenced the boy to two years in youth custody. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

She told him while custody is a last resort for children of his age, ‘taking the car, driving the car and causing Marcia Grant’s death’ is so serious that only custody can be justified.

Mrs Justice May said Marcia's family were understandably 'angry and heartbroken' because she was 'everything to them'.

"No sentence which I give can bring her back, or lessen their sadness," she said.

The judge heard how the boy ran over Mrs Grant despite the frantic attempts of her husband, Delroy, to stop him.

She told the boy: “You made a bad choice. You knew that taking her car was wrong. You knew that taking her kitchen knife was wrong. The offence you committed was serious but it was not murder.

“The prosecution have accepted that you did not mean to harm Mrs Grant.”

The judge said it was a “very bad accident”.

She said Mrs Grant was a committed foster carer, who she said was the “shining lodestar” of her family.

The boy was also sentenced for an offence of having an article with a blade or point in a public place without good reason, after he was found in possession of a kitchen knife at the time of his arrest. He received no separate penalty for that offence.

The defendant was told that the time he has spent in detention will count towards his sentence.

He was also handed a six-year driving ban.

Marcia’s daughter Gemma said: “Marcia had a fierce ambition to love, comfort and bring joy to anyone, and everyone, she met. She wanted to pull the world into a hug, lend a hand & raise the spirits of anyone facing adversity and she did this tirelessly.”

She said the defendant’s actions have resulted in the ‘loss of our rock, the deep and never-ending source of much of our humour, warmth, and love’. Gemma continued: “The one person who could have guided us through this isn't here. Between us we have lost a wife, mother, carer, grandparent, best friend, life coach and guiding light. This loss is felt over and over again, when we encounter feelings of anger or depression, we turn to her for someone to talk to, but she isn't here.”

The court heard how [the teenager] told the police officer: “I’m going to f***ing kill your family, you b***h’ and ‘I don’t give a f***’. He then asked ‘is she dead’.

Around five minutes later, he said: “It was an accident, I swear.” Later on at the police station, the defendant said: “I feel bad.”

Previously, The Star reported how when the teenager first appeared before court in April, prosecutor Gary Crothers told Sheffield Youth Court that police at the scene noted that the boy said "Is she dead?", "Looks like I got my first kill?", and "It was an accident, I swear."

Defence barrister: "The court has been told that the defendant provided police with a prepared statement during the course of one of four interviews, in which he said he had ‘never driven a car before’ and ‘so struggled’ with operating it. He said he ‘didn’t know’ Marcia was behind the car and never intended to hit her’ or cause any harm. He also said he hoped it would be accepted this was a ‘tragic accident’.”

Marcia’s husband was present when the car reversed over his wife, who had already been knocked over, hitting her head on the road, the court heard.

Eyewitnesses said they saw Mr Grant banging on the window of the car, and eventually breaking it with a brick, at which point the defendant exited the vehicle and ran away, before being caught by police a short time later.

The Grants had been at home when they became aware that someone was trying to take the car.