A HIT-AND-RUN driver who killed an 86-year-old woman has been urged to give himself up to spare his victim's family any further suffering.

The fresh appeal to trace Dominic Gavin Huggett came on the second anniversary of the crash that caused the death of grandmother Betty Cooper.

She was struck by a speeding BMW car being driven by Huggett on June 8, 2003, in Thornaby, Teesside, and died later in hospital.

Huggett, 35, was jailed for seven years in January last year after admitting causing death by dangerous driving, but escaped from Wealstun open prison, near Wetherby, West Yorkshire, in September, eight months into his sentence.

He was being tracked by Interpol, having last been spotted in Spain, but nine months on, the trail has gone cold.

The crash, in Westbury Street, also seriously injured Mrs Cooper's son, Barry, and his wife, Patricia, and left them with permanent disabilities.

Detective Sergeant Paul Beddow, of Cleveland Police, said Huggett, whose last address was Dishforth Close, Thornaby, should give himself up.

He said: "Should he not give himself up he will always be looking over his shoulder and fearing a knock on the door from us."

Carole Whittingham, who set up the organisation Support and Care After Road Death and injury (Scard) after her son, Stephen, was killed in a car crash, said Huggett remaining on the run was a "slap in the face" for his victims.

She said: "I question what he was doing in an open prison in the first place when he was given a reasonably lengthy sentence and had only served a short part of it."

Anyone who can help is asked to call (01642) 326326 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.