A 23-year-old man has been jailed for seven years after a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run in Camden Town.

Tawanda Marau ploughed into Argon Gashi, 25, after speeding through a red light and losing control of his vehicle at the junction of Camden Road and Royal College Street.

The incident, on the morning of March 1, saw Mr Gashi, of Camden, die of multiple injuries.

Mr Marau failed to stop at the scene. As a result of subsequent investigation by officers at the scene – assisted by information from witnesses and the police helicopter – police were able to trace his Fiat Brava to the Finchley Road area of Swiss Cottage. He was arrested nearby.

Yesterday, appearing at Blackfriars Crown Court, he was sentenced to six years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving; he was further sentenced to one year in prison, to be served consecutively, for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He had pleaded guilty to both charges.

He was also disqualified from driving for nine-and-a-half years and will have to complete an extended retest to regain his driving licence.

Detective Sergeant Cheryl Frost, of the Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “It is likely that Marau was travelling at around 50mph through the red traffic signals when he struck Mr Gashi. This is a very sad case for all those involved and I would like to thank the Gashi family for their support throughout this investigation.”