The mum of a 15-year-old who was killed in a hit and run said she 'felt his heart stop beating'.
Jack Jones was cycling in Upton on April 26 this year when he was killed by Leo Meek, who was speeding at up to 55mph along a 30mph residential street.
The 22-year-old didn't even slow down after Jack was thrown into the air and suffered fatal injuries.
READ MORE: Driver who fled crash after killing boy, 15, jailed for 40 months
Instead Meek parked his car two miles away and got a taxi home before going to bed, while residents tried to help save Jack's life.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Jack had spent the afternoon with his friends in his back garden before watching a film on TV with his younger brother.
He left to stay at his aunt's house and while cycling north on Manor Drive was hit by Meek who was driving the Volkswagen Tiguan at around 9.40pm.
A private hire driver passed Jack on the opposite side of the road moments before he was struck and "heard a bang" before seeing Jack thrown into the air.
Jack's devastated mum, Marjorie Jones, said she found out there was a crash when she received a Facebook alert on her phone, and was unable to get in touch with Jack but went to the crash scene "just in case".
Jack's mum and his uncle gave moving victim impact statements, which were read in court by prosecutor Peter Hussey.
Marjorie said: "We as parents had to make decisions no parent should make."
She said they made the "heart-breaking" decision to turn off his life support machine.
Marjorie said: "I asked the nurse if he would know what we're going to do and the nurse assured me he wouldn't.
"I had my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating, and I felt his heart stop for the last time."
She said Jack was "surrounded by family".
Marjorie said her son had hoped to become a mechanical engineer and “had his whole life ahead of him” but now “all our hopes and aspirations for Jack have just gone".
She said: "His life was gone in a single moment for reasons we don’t understand."
The mum added it was “a nightmare you cannot wake up from and know you will have for a lifetime" adding "no words will ever be enough to express how much this hurts and what a huge loss we all have to come to terms with".
She said while planning her son's funeral the family was "numb and in shock" and it was "so suddenly he was taken from us in the cruellest of ways".
Marjorie said on the morning he was killed he "gave me a big hug when I dropped him off at school" and later in the day he was "telling us about the bike he wanted and the car he hoped for".
She said: "He spent the evening hanging out with friends in the back garden.
"He didn't even say goodbye when he left that evening, typical teenager. We just heard the front door slamming.
"Little did we know that would be for the last time."
She said there was a "huge void in our life and that can never be filled" and reminders of her son were everywhere, from his coat hanging in the hall to his empty seat at the table.
Marjorie added her youngest son had "lost his only brother" who he "looked up to".
She said: “The small comfort we have from that night is knowing he was not alone, that residents on Manor Drive heard the impact and came to help and offer comfort to Jack whilst waiting for the ambulance and people in their cars stopped traffic.
“We would also like to thank the paramedics who got Jack to the hospital so quickly, the staff at Arrowe Park Hospital who made him as comfortable as he could be and did all they could to save his life, and to Merseyside Police for all their support.”
Jack’s uncle, Jamie, described Jack as a “selfless, humble and empathetic young man” who “will always be with us in our thoughts and our hearts.”
After going to the hospital at around 1.30am Jamie said: "Seeing Jack lying down in the hospital bed was surreal, I just expected him to wake up."
He said that Meek’s actions had left “an emotional black hole and an unforgivable sense of loss".
Jamie added: "I sincerely hope in the future Meek will be genuinely ashamed and fully remorseful of his actions during and following that fateful evening.”
He said following Jack's death he found out things about Jack he never knew, such as when he "stayed with a random female stranger who was upset" and "him and his mates helping the caretaker of the church".
Jamie said: "These things he would do without telling his mum or dad. Those kind of acts were just Jack."
Meek, of West Way, Moreton, was jailed for 40 months and banned from driving for three years on his release.
Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said his failure to stop was "cowardly and callous" adding "you were then only concerned about yourself".
Meek said he was "frightened and scared" after hitting Jack, which is why he sped from the scene, adding he "panicked".
The court heard Meek, who had been driving for six months, was "adamant" he didn't see Jack.
In a letter to the judge, he wrote he accepted "full responsibility" and said there was "no excuse" for the harm he had caused.
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