Appeal After 'Perfect' Son Dies In Hit-And-Run

The family of a "thoughtful, loving" teenager who died after a hit-and-run have appealed to the public to help find the driver of the car involved.

Samuel Garner, 17, of Hamilton, Leicester, was crossing Wellford Road, outside HMP Leicester, with a group of friends when a black BMW 5 Series collided with him.

The teenager suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the hit-and-run, which happened just after 11pm on Sunday.

The vehicle failed to stop and was last seen driving off towards Almond Road.

It had been stolen from the Blaby area on Friday 29 April, and was subsequently found burnt out in College Road, Whetstone, at around 3.45am on Tuesday.

Samuel's parents Scott and Tracie Gardner urged the public to help find those responsible for the death of their son.

They said: "Samuel was the perfect son, grandson and friend.

"He was thoughtful, loving and had a great sense of humour.

"He was due to turn 18 tomorrow and we were going to fly out to Prague this morning to celebrate.

"He loved watching wrestling and had achieved his second degree black belt in Taekwondo.

"He spent Sunday afternoon with his family watching the Leicester City match before heading into the city centre, wearing his white LCFC football shirt, with some friends to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

"He was looking forward to going to a nightclub for the first time and was a typical teenager who loved all sorts of music.

"His paternal grandparents, Glenn and Paula, had bought him tickets to see Kasabian at the King Power Stadium for his 18th birthday and he was due to start an apprenticeship next week.

"He was our world and will always be in our hearts.

"Help the police find who was responsible.

"If you’ve heard any rumours about who the driver was please come forward.”

Detective Sergeant Mark Partridge from East Midlands Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "We are in the process of gathering as much information as possible about the collision and the events leading up to it.

"We would like to speak to anyone who may have seen the BMW prior to the collision.

"Did you see it driving around the city centre or have you heard any rumours about who the driver or the occupants are?

"Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could help us find those responsible."

:: Anyone with information is urged to contact DC 1288 Paul Bingham on 101, quoting incident 727 of 1 May.