A speeding motorist who knocked down and killed an 11-year-old boy as he left a mosque with his father has been jailed for seven years.

Henry Barker, 20, hit Shahzaib Hussain while driving a Mercedes A-Class vehicle at speeds of more than 40mph along a 20mph-limit narrow backstreet in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.

After hitting the youngster outside the Hamza Mosque, Barker fled the scene before handing himself in to police the following day.

Last week, he was was found guilty by a jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court of causing death by dangerous driving.

The victim had been attending afternoon prayers with his father Javid Hussain and his uncle when he was involved in the collision on Moss Street West on February 29.

As Shahzaib crossed the road, he was hit by the front nearside of the vehicle before being thrown into the air.

He was taken to hospital but died a short time later.

The court heard how Barker swerved to avoid parked cars before the collision.

The defendant went on to tell police the boy had "run out of nowhere" and he had panicked after the collision.

Barker, of Hampton Road, Failsworth, received concurrent sentences of 18 months for causing death while driving uninsured and six months for dangerous driving following the collision.

He was also banned from driving for eight years.

His passenger, Aaron Ward, 23, of Hattersley Road West, Hattersley, was jailed for 14 months after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to aiding and abetting Barker.

Ward was also handed a four-month jail term for breaching a suspended sentence, said Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

Following sentencing, Pc Phil Turley of GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: "The reckless actions of Barker and Ward caused the tragic death of Shahzaib, which is an irreparable pain his family will never recover from.

"Today's sentencing is a small piece of triumph for Shahzaib's family who have not only been grieving their son but have been put through a gruelling time to get justice for their son."