A 36-YEAR-old man was yesterday found guilty of causing the death of a promising young footballer by dangerous driving.

During a trial at Teesside Crown Court, a jury heard how talented 14-year-old soccer player Daniel Stewart had been thrown in the air "like a rag doll" when he was hit by a car as he was crossing a road in Thornaby.

Kelvin Timperley, of Salisbury Terrace, South Bank, Middlesbrough, denied the charge and claimed the teenager had run out in front of him on Mitchell Avenue

Christine Egerton, prosecuting, described how after school on November 26 last year Daniel, of Staindale Road, Thornaby, had decided to have a game of football with his friends before attending a soccer assessment at Hartlepool United later in the evening.

The prosecution claimed that while Daniel was crossing Mitchell Avenue with a group of friends, Timperley had deliberately driven at the teenager in his Nissan Micra car.

The jury heard how Daniel was taken to Middlesbrough General Hospital suffering from multiple injuries and died five days later without regaining consciousness.

A friend who was with him told the jury that Timperley had said at the scene that the youngster should not have been playing "chicken".

Another young witness claimed that Timperley had been towards the wrong side of the road when he hit Daniel.

Timperley denied saying anything at the scene, and said he had not set out to hit the teenager. He claimed he had been unable to avoid Daniel who had ran out in front of him.

Timperley also claimed that following the fatal collision he had been beaten up by three people who had mentioned the name Danny.

The jury found Timperley guilty of causing Daniel's death by dangerous driving. Judge Leslie Spittle adjourned the hearing for pre-sentence reports.