Driver who mowed down brothers freed from jail days before
A VIOLENT thug who killed two young brothers in a hit-and-run crash was a career criminal who had been released from jail just days earlier.
Robert Brown, 53, ploughed into Corey Platt-May, six, and his twoyearold brother Casper as they crossed the road with their mother on their way to the park.
At the time of the tragedy, Brown had been on licence for six days after serving time for carrying an 18-inch machete.
Police described the horrific crash, which left witnesses weeping in the street and the boys’ shoes scattered across the road, as ‘a parent’s worst nightmare’.
Brown and his passenger, Gwen Harrison, 42, fled and were later found hiding behind garages.
Casper died at the roadside while his football-mad brother Corey died later in hospital. Their mother, Louise, their two other brothers, aunts and cousins who were with them were uninjured.
It has since emerged Brown has a string of convictions dating back to the 1970s, ranging from theft to common assault.
In September last year he was jailed for six months after carrying a machete in a public place and driving without a licence or insurance. He was banned from contacting Harrison, his ex-fiancee, as a condition of his release.
Yesterday at Warwick Crown Court, Brown, of Coventry, admitted causing death by dangerous driving in the city on February 22.
He also pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance or a licence.
He was remanded in custody until April 27 when his own barrister warned he would be receiving a lengthy custodial term.
Harrison, also of Coventry, admitted assaulting a man who tried to stop Brown fleeing the crash scene, and was also remanded in custody for sentencing. Earlier this month, hundreds gathered at Coventry Cathedral to farewell the brothers who lived with their mother and father Reece, 30, a taxi driver.
In a statement, Louise Platt-May paid tribute to her two little boys. She said Corey was ‘ an amazing boy’ who loved football and school, especially maths.
She said Casper was a ‘ cheeky little boy’ who loved wearing his wellies and splashing in puddles.
Their aunt Tia Fletcher, 22, who was with them at the time, had told how she saw the car come speeding round the corner.
She said: ‘Casper was in his Mini Cooper toy car and it just smashed it to pieces. It was like a war zone.’ Another aunt, Chelsea Platt-May, 27, described the horrifying sound of ‘crushing plastic and screeching tyres’. ‘It took a few moments to realise what had happened. As soon as we heard Louise scream that’s when we all woke up.’