A 20-year-old riding an illegal e-bike has been jailed after a crash that killed a teenage boy who had survived cancer as a young child.
Leon Jones admitted causing death by dangerous driving following the collision with 17-year-old Spencer Crofts on the Wirral Peninsula on November 30, 2024.
The court was told Jones had been riding at up to 33mph in a 20mph area and had been doing a wheelie moments before the fatal crash.
Investigators also found that Jones had taken cannabis before the incident.
Evidence presented in court indicated that both Jones’s e-bike and Spencer’s scrambler bike were being ridden dangerously on Hoole Road in the Woodchurch Estate.
Jones has now been sentenced to five years and four months’ imprisonment following the death of Spencer, who was described as his ‘best friend’.
He has also been disqualified from driving for five years, with the disqualification period starting when he is released from custody, together with an extended re-test.
Jones was separately sentenced for an arson offence committed on June 28 this year involving a mobility scooter belonging to a man whose wife was seriously ill and receiving end-of-life care inside their home.
Spencer Crofts, 17, was riding a scrambler bike when it was involved in a crash with an electric bike on November 30 in Woodchurch, on the Wirral peninsula
Leon Jones, 20, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving after colliding with the bike and has been sentenced
He was given consecutive sentences, resulting in a total custodial sentence of five years and ten months.
Police said Spencer and Jones were described as ‘best friends’ which ‘made the outcome (of the trial) all the more upsetting’.
Spencer’s family previously opened up about how his sudden death had ‘destroyed’ them.
His aunt Chayne Crofts said he overcame a serious illness as a younger child.
She said: ‘Spencer was one of the most loving, emotional kids you’ll ever meet. He loved his family.
‘He never wanted anyone to be sad. He’d go out of his way to help people. When he was three he had leukaemia. He’s always been everyone’s favourite since then.’
On how Spencer’s death has affected them, including his other aunt Melissa Crofts, she said at the time: ‘It’s destroyed the whole family. We’re a very close family.
‘I’m still in shock. None of us are well. We can’t eat or sleep. We’re heartbroken, it’s so sudden. He was just a baby, he didn’t deserve that.’
The collision occurred in Woodchurch on the Wirral peninsula, Merseyside at around 6.25pm on November 30, 2024
Jones, aged 18 at the time of the incident, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after suffering serious multiple injuries.
Floral tributes were left at the scene for Spencer following the crash, describing him as loyal and genuine ‘with the biggest heart’.
Detective Sergeant Kurt Timpson, of Merseyside Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Spencer Crofts, who continue to live with the devastating consequences of this incident.
‘This case demonstrates the very real dangers associated with the use of illegal and unroadworthy vehicles on our roads.
‘Tragically, the actions of those involved resulted in the loss of a young life.
‘The defendant and Spencer were described as best friends, making the outcome all the more upsetting.
‘Merseyside Police will not tolerate the dangerous use of illegal bikes on our roads and in our communities.
‘We hope this sentence serves as a warning to others about the potentially devastating consequences of such behaviour.’
The force said it is ‘continuing to target offenders and seize illegal bikes’ as part of Operation Gears – its response to the ‘dangerous and anti-social use of illegal bikes’.