Handsworth hit-and-run driver jailed three years later after fleeing to Poland

Mateusz Tarczynski struck 65-year-old Romeshwar Singh Mangat as he crossed Piers Road, Handsworth, after attending prayers at a nearby temple in October 2017.

Mr Mangat was left motionless on the floor, near the Soho Road junction, with serious head injuries as the driver turned the car around and drove off

Mr Mangat died in hospital just over a month later and an appeal was launched to find the driver.

Officers soon identified and arrested Tarczynski, who was living in Birmingham, but he denied involvement in the collision in two separate interviews.

Enquiries by the Serious Collision Investigation Unit found the 31-year-old carried out internet searches around the punishment for knocking down a pedestrian and fleeing the scene of an accident.

When asked about this, he intimated the searches could have been made by his four-year-old daughter.

Tarczynski was charged in 2018 but failed to turn up at court.

Working with European police, he was traced to Poland and brought back to the UK last year to face a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Tarczynski initially denied the offence but changed his plea on the day of trial. He was jailed for three years and seven months at Birmingham Crown Court on February 24.

Sergeant Mat Leeming, who led the investigation, said: "This was a tragic case where a man sadly lost his life through no fault of his own. Although Tarczynski wasn’t speeding, the force of the collision was enough to knock Mr Mangat to the ground and suffer serious head injuries.

"Tarczynski took no responsibility for his actions until the very end, continually denying his involvement and even left the country.

"However, we were able to trace him and bring him back before the court - where he now faces time behind bars."