Boy, 13, admits killing grandmother by driving over her in her own car

Marcia Grant, 60, died outside her home in the Greenhill area of Sheffield on April 5.

Floral tributes left outside a house on Hemper Lane, Greenhill, Sheffield, following the death of Marcia Grant (Dave Higgens/PA) (PA Wire)

A 13-year-old boy has admitted killing a grandmother by driving over her in her own car.

Marcia Grant, 60, died outside her home in the Greenhill area of Sheffield on April 5.

The youngster, who was 12 at the time of the incident and cannot be named, was due to go on trial this week accused of murder.

But on Tuesday he pleaded guilty at Sheffield Crown Court to causing Mrs Grant’s death by dangerous driving and this was accepted by prosecutors.

The judge, Mrs Justice May, said the boy will be sentenced on December 1.

The boy, who has already admitted a second charge of possession of bladed article – which was specified as a kitchen knife, appeared by video link and was wearing a white shirt with a black tie.

The judge and most of the barristers in the case also appeared via screens.

Police and paramedics were called to an incident outside Mrs Grant’s house on Hemper Lane, Greenhill, on April 5, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her family released a statement after her death which said: “Marcia was a warm, loving and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend and a pillar of her community.”

No details of the incident were given in the brief court hearing on Tuesday, where the youngster appeared by video link.

But, when he first appeared before court in April, prosecutor Gary Crothers told Sheffield Youth Court that police at the scene noted that the boy said “Is she dead?”, “Looks like I got my first kill?”, and “It was an accident, I swear.”

When the youngster first appeared at crown court in April, Ben Campbell, defending, said the issue in relation to these comments was “what you can infer from them in all the circumstances”.

Mrs Grant positions herself behind the vehicle. The vehicle reverses, causing her to fall on her back and her head impacts with the ground. She was trapped under the vehicle, her husband tried to break the window of the car to get the defendant out of the car

Gary Crothers, prosecuting at an earlier hearing

Mr Crothers told the youth court: “At around 7pm on the evening in question this defendant is seen on CCTV attempting to take Mrs Grant’s car.

“Mrs Grant tries to stop him by going behind the car.

“On CCTV, the vehicle is driven slightly erratically at this time and it does come to a stop.

“Mrs Grant positions herself behind the vehicle. The vehicle reverses, causing her to fall on her back and her head impacts with the ground.

“She was trapped under the vehicle, her husband tried to break the window of the car to get the defendant out of the car.”

The prosecutor said the vehicle then reversed “at some speed causing the catastrophic injuries to Mrs Grant”.

He said that she was pronounced dead at the scene just after 7.30pm by attending paramedics.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Bowell, from South Yorkshire Police, said outside court: “Since Marcia’s death, my thoughts have been with her family and friends.

“They have lost a loved one under the most tragic of circumstances and will have to live with the heartbreaking consequences of the events of that evening for the rest of their lives.

“We continue to support her loved ones, and they wish for their privacy to continue to be respected.”