Man jailed for causing death of Isaac Wright in Tamworth in 2018

A man who killed a pensioner in a road traffic collision in Tamworth and then drove off has been jailed for 21 months.

Roger Cope, aged 50, of Laburnum Close, Kingsbury, near to Tamworth, had been at the Plough & Harrow pub in Fazeley before leaving and driving back home when he hit 90-year-old Isaac Wright on 21 December, 2018.

Isaac, known locally as ‘Ike’, had been crossing the road after a spending an evening at Two Gates social club where he was a regular customer and member.

Today (Wednesday 10 March), at Birmingham Crown Court, Cope was jailed for 21 months in total. He received 12 months for causing death by careless driving and nine months for perverting the course of justice.

He had pleaded guilty to the perverting the course of justice charge in December 2019 and was found guilty of death by careless driving at Stafford Crown Court last month.

He will additionally serve a 58-and-a-half month driving ban upon his release from prison.

Cope was driving his Citroen Picasso when he struck Isaac at around 10.45pm on Watling Street, near to the junction with Dosthill Road and Tamworth Road, back in December 2018. Cope then drove away from the scene.

Isaac, from Tamworth, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. A post mortem revealed he died as a result of multiple injuries.

Following information from members of the public, officers attended Cope’s address in Kingsbury and arrested him. After a search of his late mother’s address, also in Kingsbury, Cope’s attempt at hiding his car – knowing it was evidence – was foiled after his Picasso was found in a garage with damage caused by the collision.

The car was found squeezed into a small garage and the bonnet was wedged under a sink unit in order for it to fit.

Detective Constable Daniel Douglas, from Staffordshire Police CID, said: “Isaac left the social club – a place where he was a well-loved and longstanding member – to return to his house just a few hundred yards away, but he was knocked over by Cope and left lying in the road.

“Cope knew what he’d done and had left the scene with the hopes of never being caught.

“Our thoughts remain with Isaac’s family and friends. We would also like to thank those members of the public who came to Isaac’s aid."