Death of pensioner leads to sentence
89-year old pedestrian Tom Wallace was hit by the car in Gillingham in December
Last updated 31st Jul 2026
Two men have been sentenced today after an 89 year old pensioner was killed in a hit and run near Gillingham.
89-years-old pedestrian, Tom Wallace, was hit and carried by the car, driven by Albert Matraxhiu, on Monday 29 December in Gillingham.
Matraxhiu has been sentenced to 9 years and 10 months with 2/3rds of the sentence to be served, as well as 6 years of disqualification from drivers license upon release (72 months) with additional need to take an extended driving license test after time ends.
30 year old Erald Paci from Chatham was also in the car - and has been sentenced to 15 months for perversion of justice – has already served the time in the 7 months between processing into custody and now
Background
On Friday 30 January, Matraxhiu pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving but later asked for the case to be relisted on Monday 2 February, in order to plead guilty to the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Matraxhiu also pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle without insurance, driving a vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence, driver of a vehicle failing to stop after an accident and perverting the course of justice.
Erald Paci also pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
Tributes
The family of Tom Wallace previously issued a statement through Kent Police:
"Tom Wallace. L.D.S, R.C.S. Eng. had been a dental surgeon in the Medway Towns for all his working life. He had been married for 63 years, was a father of three, a grandfather of four, and recently a great grandfather.
"He loved his family dearly and was loved by them in return. He sailed his boat up and down the east coast, and across the Channel to France, usually single-handed. For years he was a bell-ringer at the church on Gillingham Green. He was a Samaritan for many years, raised money for the NSPCC and undertook several European cycling tours to raise funds for Marie Curie. He was a respected and loved member of the community and deserved a better end to his life than this.
"The residents and postman who tried to help in Grange Road were compassionate and kind. Our thanks and appreciation go out to them."