Man charged over death of boy, 7, killed in Folkestone hit-and-run

The young boy was hit outside his house on the A259 Sandgate Esplanade in December

William Brown’s parents Laura and Will (ITV News)

A man has been charged over the death of a seven-year-old boy who was struck during a hit-and-run in Folkestone.

Stewart Powell, 49, was charged on Saturday over the death of William Brown, Kent Police confirmed, after the young boy was hit outside his house on the A259 Sandgate Esplanade last December.

Police said the incident had involved two vehicles, a red Citroen car and a grey Peugeot van. The van is alleged to have left the scene before the emergency services arrived.

Reports at the time said the boy, an avid Manchester United and Christiano Ronaldo fan, had jumped over the wall at the front of his house to retrieve his football when he was hit.

The coffin of William Brown is carried into St Mary And St Eanswythe Church, Folkestone (PA Wire)

Police and ambulance crews attended but the child was confirmed dead at the scene. A man was arrested the following day and was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries by Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit.

The police said Mr Powell has been charged with failing to stop following a collision and driving without insurance. They said although the vehicle was insured, it was being “driven outside the terms of that policy”.

He has been bailed to appear before Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Friday 24 May.

Days after the boy’s death, his parents Laura and William Brown appealed for their son to be buried in the ancient graveyard of St Eanswythe’s Church of England school, where he had been a pupil.

His mother told MailOnline that he would always visit the area and would be seen collecting conkers, picking wild garlic and playing with a stick.

“If he were laid to rest there, he will be amongst the heart of the community that he loved,” she said. “He would be among his school friends and we his parents could visit him every day and so could his little sister Pearl who still goes to the school.”