A teenager on his way home from football practice was killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver who had only just finished a three-year driving ban.

Stephen Cowens, 17, had jumped over the bus lane barriers in the middle of Manchester Road, Bradford, when he was mown down by Ghaffar Ahmadi at 60mph.

The boy had been trying to get across the other carriageway when he was hit by a Toyota Corolla driven by Afghani national Ahmadi.

As the teenager lay dying, Ahmadi drove off, hitting another car as he did so, before getting out of the car and going to Leeds. Tragically the teenager, who suffered multiple injuries, had decided that evening not to take his usual lift home and had been walking towards the city centre to catch a bus.

Ahmadi, 33, of Tichborne Road, West Bowling, Bradford, was driving his wife's car without a licence and without insurance and it emerged during yesterday's hearing at Bradford Crown Court that he had finished his previous driving ban only nine days before the fatal collision in March.

Prosecutor Judith Naylor described how Ahmadi, who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and other related driving matters, failed to stop at the scene despite the damage to his windscreen and vehicle.

As he attempted to drive off he collided soon after with an Audi at a nearby junction, but still got out of the damaged Toyota and went to Leeds.

An accident investigator calculated that at the time of the fatal collision Ahmadi's vehicle was doing 61.5mph and would have needed something like 18 car lengths to stop.

If it had been doing the 30mph limit the vehicle could have stopped in only six car lengths.

Stephen's mother and other family and friends were in court to see Ahmadi jailed for four years and banned from driving again for six, but most of them left while the chilling CCTV footage of the fatal collision was shown.

Ahmadi, who was banned from driving in February 2004 for failing to provide a breath specimen and driving without insurance and in accordance with a licence, handed himself in to the police the day after the crash.

But when police searched his home as part of their inquiry they discovered a summons in the name of Omar Khan and other motoring-related documents.

During his interview Ahmadi accepted being the driver of the Toyota which had struck the teenager and also admitted using the assumed name to register a van he drove for work.

The Honorary Recorder of Bradford Judge Stephen Gullick was told that Ahmadi had fled in 'blind panic'' after the collisions, but sentencing him he said his behaviour had been grossly irresponsible.

'No sentence which I can pass upon you can replace the life which has been taken away,'' said Judge Gullick.

'The impact upon the family is graphically set out in the victim impact statement compiled by Stephen's mother. My sentence is not intended to replace a life. It is intended to reflect, within the guidance which the Court of Appeal Criminal Division has given to me, your culpability which in a case of this type is the dominant component in the sentencing exercise."

The judge said he took account of various factors in the case including Ahmadi's poor driving record, his 'greatly excessive'' speed at the time of the crash and his actions after the fatal collision.

'One can only conclude that Stephen either did not look to his left or misjudged the danger posed by the vehicles coming from his left and believed that he could cross in safety,'' added Judge Gullick.

But he said Ahmadi's task as a driver was to be observant about what was going on around him and be aware of any hidden dangers.

Ahmadi, who will also have to take an extended driving test at the end of his latest ban, was said by his barrister Elyas Patel to be genuinely sorry for what had happened that evening.

Addressing the teenager's family Mr Patel said: 'Their sense of loss will of course know no bounds and having read the heart-wrenching statement from Stephen's mother it would be an understatement to say that since his tragic death their world has fallen apart.'' Mr Patel said not a moment went by when his client did not think about the events and added: 'If he could turn the clock back he would. If he could take back the few moments of driving stupidity he would.

'If he could swap places with Stephen he would do that too... he can't of course do any of those. All he can do is express through me his heartfelt and genuine sorrow and remorse for what happened here.'' Mr Patel said the court would have to take account not only of Stephen's own actions that evening, but also the fact that there was another vehicle on the Toyota's offside as the teenager crossed from the right.

He pointed out that any view his client may have had of the deceased would have been obscured and it was possible that Stephen had also been struck by the other vehicle.

'The driver of that vehicle also left the scene never to be seen or heard of again to this day,'' added Mr Patel.

He said there was no evidence of dangerous driving, showing off or racing prior to the collision and he argued Ahmadi had not been involved in a prolonged, persistent and deliberate course of bad driving.