COVENTRY — A man has admitted causing death by dangerous driving after a hit and run crash that killed 12-year-old Keaton Slater as he walked home from school in Coventry.

Latvian national Dolars Aleksanders pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court and is due to be sentenced on 13 November. He appeared by video link from HMP Dovegate and spoke only to confirm his plea.

Keaton was fatally injured on Radford Road on 14 June 2024 after being struck by a black BMW 330. Police said at the time there were four people in the car and that it was travelling well above the speed limit.

After the collision, Aleksanders left the UK. He was extradited from Latvia last month following a lengthy international effort to bring him before a British court.

Family says justice has been done after two years of grief

Keaton’s parents, Louise and Clint Slater, were in the public gallery when the plea was entered. In a statement, they said they had spent two years struggling to accept his death while also fighting for accountability.

They said there had been times when the pain felt unbearable and days when it was difficult to see a way forward. They added that the extradition and guilty plea meant justice had finally been done for Keaton, although no sentence could remove the pain of losing him.

The family said they would never stop loving or missing their son, describing him as much more than the way he died. They said Keaton’s life, and the circumstances surrounding his death, had now been acknowledged.

Their statement came after repeated appeals for answers over the course of the investigation and the court proceedings that followed the crash.

Court told sentence is likely to be very long

Judge Matthew Walsh told Aleksanders that the sentence he was likely to receive would be “very long”, with the final decision to be made by Her Honour Judge Kristina Montgomery KC.

Crown Prosecution Service spokesman Ben Samples said British and Latvian authorities, together with international agencies, had worked closely to return Aleksanders to the UK so he could face proceedings.

After police named him as a person of interest, efforts to secure his return began soon afterwards. He was later flown into Gatwick Airport and taken to a custody block in the West Midlands.

At the hearing, Aleksanders appeared only to enter his guilty plea. The case now moves to sentencing, where the court will consider the circumstances of the fatal collision and his decision to flee after the incident.

Community tributes followed Keaton’s death in Coventry

The case prompted a strong response across Coventry and Warwickshire, with tributes continuing long after Keaton died. He was a keen Coventry City supporter, and in July 2024 his family led out players from Leamington FC and the Sky Blues academy before a pre-season match.

Fans and players observed a minute’s silence for the 12-year-old, and Leamington FC described the fixture as a fitting way for the football community to come together in his memory. At the end of the game, Keaton’s parents were presented with about £300 raised by supporters.

In 2025, Coventry City Council announced that the speed limit on Radford Road would be cut to 20mph. The change followed a petition made in Keaton’s name, which Coventry North West MP Taiwo Owatemi said the city council had acted on.

Investigating officer Det Ch Insp Sam Lewis said the case had been about securing justice for Keaton and his family, and said the defendant’s actions had caused devastating grief.

Police say driver fled instead of helping the injured boy

West Midlands Police said Aleksanders was speeding at an excessive level and would have known the impact of the collision. Det Ch Insp Lewis said he could have stopped to help Keaton, but instead ran away and left the boy to die.

A £10,000 reward from Crimestoppers was offered for information leading to Aleksanders’ arrest. Police later traced him to Latvia, where extradition efforts were started after he was identified as a suspect.

Officers described the investigation as complex, but said they remained determined to secure a conviction. Police also said the determination shown by the community, Keaton’s family and investigators had helped keep the case in focus over more than two years.

The hearing means the final stage of the criminal process is now approaching, with sentencing set for November in the same court where he admitted the charge.

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