A MAN who killed a motorcyclist in a targeted hit-and-run has been convicted of his murder after specialist officers were able to locate him in Ireland.
Father-of-three Kerrin Repman's moped was hit from behind by a BMW driven by Keith McCarthy in Essex at around 2.45pm on Wednesday, April 15, 2020.
Mr Repman, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene.
McCarthy fled to Ireland but was later extradited and charged with murder and GBH.
At Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, he was found guilty of both charges.
"Keith McCarthy took Kerrin's life in a violent and ruthless attack," said Detective Superintendent Scott Egerton of Essex Police.
"He would have felt the full impact of that collision and seen the devastation it caused, yet he made no attempt to identify himself as the driver or to check on those he injured.
"His only thought was to try and escape the justice system, but all he did was delay the inevitable."
Elderly bystander also injured
The court heard that Kerrin had been killed following a dispute about money.
Specialist officers calculated that the BMW had sped up on the approach to the motorbike on Marine Parade in Dovercourt.
It reached a speed of 67 mph along the residential street, which was used as evidence against McCarthy.
The BMW driven by McCarthy pictured after the collision (Image: Essex Police)Witness accounts and CCTV also depicted McCarthy driving dangerously behind Kerrin, almost hitting an oncoming funeral cortege in the process.
The impact of the collision caused Kerrin to be thrown from the moped, while both vehicles were significantly damaged.
Despite the efforts of plain clothes officers who came across the wreckage, Kerrin died at the scene.
The moped also hit a bystander, a woman in her 70s, whose serious injuries required treatment in hospital.
Mr Repman was thrown from the moped by the collision (Image: Essex Police)McCarthy fled the scene on foot before leaving the country as police enquiries to identify and locate him intensified.
A European Arrest Warrant was issued for his arrest and he was later tracked down in Ireland.
Joint work between Essex Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Interpol and the National Crime Agency ensured that extradition proceedings were granted and McCarthy arrived back in Britain on February 3, 2022.
'A huge hole has been left'
Describing him as 'a much-loved partner, son, brother, father and uncle', Mr Repman's family said the sunshine had been wiped from their lives.
"As parents, not in a million years did we ever think we would be forced to bury our little boy," read the statement.
"We never thought Kerrin would be wiped out of our lives so fast, and we miss him every minute of every day.
"Keith McCarthy has no idea what his actions have done to this family.
"A huge hole has been left and the impact has been felt by all of us.
"The sunshine that was Kerrin has gone out of our lives.
"Kerrin will never be forgotten, and his three children are the focus or all our lives now that he is gone.
"We see little sparks of him in them all the time.
"He might be gone physically but we have so many happy memories and love, and we know he is with us forever, in spirit.
"Fly high our angel."
McCarthy will be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on November 3.
See More: Essex Police, Interpol, National Crime Agency
