Milkman who hit 'gentle giant' with van and left him to die 'thought he hit a badger'

Kidderminster Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday how Carloman, aged 57, "thought he had hit a badger, deer or other wild animal" on the fateful night, a basis of plea accepted by the prosecution.

But, after seeing several news articles and appeals for information following the death of the agricultural worker in the coming days, and realising he might have been involved, Carloman did not come forward. It was only after enquiries were made by family and friends of Mr Rogers that Carloman was questioned a week later.

Mr Rogers had been drinking at The Swan pub in Aston Munslow with friends, leaving at around 1.30am. The court was told he drove his vehicle, but then left it behind to start walking. Investigations into the collision and the damage to Carloman's van suggested that Mr Rogers, who had a significant amount of alcohol in his system, was lying in the road when he was hit.

Carloman, of Blakemore, Brookside, Telford, had previously admitted failing to report an accident. He pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to stop after previously denying the offence.

Mr Rogers's sister Lydia Goldie tearfully delivered a victim impact statement to the court.

She said: "The day Will was taken away from us was the day our lives changed forever. As a family we are broken, and we will never be the same. The life, experiences and memories we should have been able to make with him were ripped away from us. This is something that has traumatised us all."

She described how she "lost the chance to say goodbye" to her brother due to the condition his body was in, and asked Carloman to put himself in her shoes and imagine how it must have felt.

"He was due to be a godfather. All the hopes and dreams we held for Will are now crushed and gone," she added.

"Will was one of the kindest people you could ever wish to meet. He was warm-hearted, caring and loving. He didn't deserve to be left cold and alone."

Addressing Carloman, she said: "I have no idea why you didn't stop that night. You could have got help."

Mark Hambling, prosecuting, read a statement from Mr Rogers' mother, Mandy Oliver. In it, she said: "We are all struggling to accept a life without Will. He meant so much to so many people. Everyone loved him.

"He had a warm, charismatic nature. He was pure gold. From the day he was born, I adored him. He wasn't only my wonderful son, he was my best friend.

"We shared the same sense of humour, and he always had a big hug for his mum.

"Five hundred people were heartbroken at Telford Crematorium, remembering his life," she said, referring to his funeral which included a tractor procession. A rugby match between two of his former clubs was held in his memory last year.

She questioned whether Carloman really thought he had hit an animal, given Mr Rogers' size.

In her statement, she said she believed Carloman had been a "decent man" going about his normal duties, but became a "cruel, callous, heartless and selfish coward" by not stopping.

However, District Judge Ian Strongman said he did not accept that characterisation as it did not align with the facts.

He pointed out that pathology reports showed severe damage to Mr Rogers' aorta and pulmonary artery, meaning he would have died very quickly and that even if Carloman had stopped, there would have been no way of saving Mr Rogers.

Mr Strongman said that delays in the legal proceedings to get pathology and investigation reports as well as the time it took for Mr Rogers's body to be released were "failures of the system", rather than any fault of Carloman.

Addressing Carloman's claim that he thought he had hit a wild animal, Mr Strongman said: "It must have caused quite a jolt to the van. He was in a large vehicle. If a smaller car had come along after, significant damage could have been caused. The decent thing to have done would have been to have stopped."

Neil Treharne, mitigating, said Carloman "has the greatest amount of sympathy" for Mr Rogers' family. but said reports showed there had been no issue with his driving.

He added that the fallout has left Carloman struggling with his mental health and he has had "suicidal ideation".

"This was a tragic accident," added Mr Treharne.

Sentencing Carloman, Mr Strongman said: "I appreciate it does nothing to satisfy the grief of the family and friends of Will Rogers, but that is not the purpose of the sentence."

He handed Carloman a 12-month conditional discharge, which will include 80 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity days. He was banned from driving for four months, and must also pay £135 in prosecution costs and a £95 victim surcharge.