Men charged after 89-year-old killed in Gillingham hit-and-run

Two men have been charged and remanded after an 89-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run in Gillingham, Kent Police said. Retired dental surgeon Tom Wallace was struck by a grey Mercedes estate on the A289 Gads Hill and was later found on Grange Road, almost a mile from where he is believed to have been hit.

Police said he "had been carried by the car". Albert Matraxhiu, 28, of Orange Hill Road, Edgware, has been charged with death by dangerous driving and with multiple other offences including intention to pervert the course of justice, driving without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, failure to stop after an accident and failure to report an accident.

Erald Paci, 29, of Five Ways Court, Chatham, has been charged with intention to pervert the course of justice. Both men appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court and were remanded to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on 30 January. In a statement issued through Kent Police, Mr Wallace's family said he "deserved a better end to his life than this" and described him as a husband of 63 years, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who sailed, rang bells at his church, volunteered as a Samaritan and raised funds for charities.

They thanked residents and a postman who tried to help. Kent Police said inquiries also led officers to an address in Dartford where a cannabis cultivation was found.

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Culture, World, Crime, Hit-and-run, Gillingham, Kent Police, Court