Partner of Scot killed in Australia hit-and-run slams sentence for joyrider

The partner of a Scots father killed in a horrific hit-and-run incident in Australia has hit out at the four year jail sentence handed to the teenage joyrider who caused the crash.

Keith Stevens, originally from Forfar Angus, was living in Melbourne.

Keith Stevens, 33, died when his motorbike was dragged for 85 metres along a road and burst into flames after being struck by a stolen BMW in Melbourne.

The sheet metal worker was rushed to hospital but died from internal injuries, multiple fractures and burns to 50 per cent of his body.

Mr Stevens, who had lived near Forfar, Angus, before emigrating to Australia around 10 years ago, was on his way home from work when the incident happened in November last year.

An 18-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted causing his death during a court hearing in Melbourne and was locked up for four years.

Mr Stevens’ partner Amanda Wilson said she was ‘devastated’ with the sentence.

She said: “I had prepared myself to be disappointed but not that disappointed.

“To watch your partner burn and be with him as he burnt to death and he gets four years.

“That’s not justice to me.”

She added: “Keith was just this tall Scottish Viking-looking, gentle giant that just had this infectious personality that everybody loved.”

The teen and three others stole a BMW on November 8, 2017, before colliding with Mr Stevens when they tried to beat him through an intersection.

In a phone call secretly recorded by police the day after the crash, the youth told a friend: “I saw it, and, like, f*** I can beat it, so I put my foot flat.

“Even after the accident, bro, I didn’t feel anything. Like, I didn’t feel no pain, no emotions about it.”

After the crash, the group abandoned the stolen car and tried to break into a property before stealing another car from a nearby house.

The judge in the case, Irene Wilson, broke down in tears as she sentenced the teenager.

She told him: “You have senselessly and cruelly deprived a community of a loving father, son, partner, brother, uncle and friend.

“There is nothing this court can do or say to bring Mr Stevens back. This sentence can not be a reflection of the worth or value of his life.”

Following his death, Mr Stevens’ family paid tribute to him in a statement released by police in Australia and told how his organs were donated to help save other lives.

They said: “Keith was a loving father, partner and son. We will remain forever devastated by his loss.

“His passing in the most tragic of circumstances has left us all with immense grief and overwhelming sadness.

“Born in Scotland, he called Australia home. His death is being felt by the lives he touched around the world.

“Keith was our gentle giant and he leaves behind shocked friends and family.

“Keith was an organ donor and we know he would be pleased that in these most tragic of circumstances he was able to help improve the quality of others’ lives.”

Mr Stevens had a teenage son from a previous relationship and worked as a sheet-metal worker after moving to Australia.

An online campaign raised more than £3,000 to help his Scots relatives travel to Australia for a memorial service.

The 18-year-old pled guilty to charges including culpable driving causing death, aggravated burglary and attempted aggravated burglary. He will be sentenced at a later date.