Driver who fled scene of fatal collision gets jail
Marcin Pilarski has been sentenced to a year and three months in jail.
Last updated 22nd Sep 2026
A driver who hit and killed a pedestrian then fled the scene of the collision has been jailed.
36-year-old Marcin Pilarksi collided with 28-year-old Sam Pope who was walking alongside Old Mills Road in Ramsey Mereside at around 11pm on Saturday the 11th of May 2024.
Pilarski fled the scene and the collision was only reported when another driver called 999 having seen Sam Pope lying in the road.
Despite the efforts of the emergency services, Mr Pope was declared dead at the scene.
At 11.40pm, less than an hour after the collision, Pilarski’s partner called the police and told them he had returned home in her Vauxhall Astra – but that the car was badly damaged. She said it had a smashed windscreen and headlamp, and that there was also blood on the front of the vehicle.
The woman told officers that they lived 15 minutes (approximately 9.5 miles) from the crash scene.
Police visited the house and saw the damaged Astra. They then arrested Pilarski, of Sorrell Avenue, Whittlesey, in relation to the fatal collision.
In a statement, Pilarski’s partner said he had called her at 11pm to tell her he had “hit or killed somebody” who had been in the road. She said she had to end the call due to him screaming.
She said when he returned home in her damaged car, she told him they needed to contact the police and he answered, “I know”.
In police interview Pilarski answered no comment to most questions. However, he later pleaded guilty to causing death by driving a car without a licence or insurance.
At Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday the 17th of 17 September, Pilarski was sentenced to one year and three months in prison. He was also given a four and a half year driving ban.
In a victim impact statement taken into consideration by the court, Mr Pope’s family said they had been left feeling angry due to Pilarski's lack of remorse and that he hadn’t apologised for his actions.
The statement added: “We hope the memory of the night keeps him up at night like it does us. I don’t really know how as a family we will ever come to terms with this.”
Detective Inspector Craig Wheeler, who investigated, said: “Pilarski made a conscious decision to drive his partner’s car without a licence or insurance."
“He should never have put himself behind the wheel of a car and my thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Mr Pope, who needlessly lost his life at such a young age."
“No sentence will ever ease the pain of their loss, but I hope the case acts as a stark reminder against getting behind the wheel while uninsured or without a licence. Just one journey could end in tragedy.”