A Latvian national has been jailed for causing the death of a Coventry schoolboy by dangerous driving following a legislative change in Latvia to allow extradition to the UK.   

Aleksanders Dolars, also referred to as Dolars Aleksanders, collided with Keaton Slater, aged 12, at high speed on Radford Road in Coventry in June 2024. Keaton tragically died in the collision. Dolars fled the scene and left the country for Latvia shortly afterwards.   

When Dolars absconded, the extradition agreement in place with Latvia did not allow for the return of Latvian nationals, meaning while he remained in Latvia there was no legal mechanism to bring him back to the UK to face justice.

Alongside a diligent and relentless campaign by Keaton’s parents, CPS and UK government officials negotiated carefully with authorities in Latvia to put a case to them to change their legislation to allow for extradition to take place. This resulted in Dolars being the first suspect to be extradited from Latvia since the nationality bar (a provision which prohibited Latvian authorities from extraditing their own nationals) was removed.   

Dolars was extradited back to the West Midlands and on 3 September he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He was sentenced today to nine years and four months imprisonment at Warwick Crown Court and banned from driving for 16 years.

Tamina Greaves from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This case presented challenges from the start with a suspect at large with no legal framework to get access to him.

“However, throughout this case there has been one constant, which has been the resilience and determination of Keaton’s parents, Louise and Clint, to see justice done for their son, who was taken from them is such tragic circumstances. Their determination has inspired us to give everything we could to get to today’s outcome.

“Today’s sentence is the culmination of a sustained joined effort by the police investigation team, CPS West Midlands, with the support of our Liaison Prosecutors based in the region along with the Extradition Unit and the Latvian authorities. I thank everyone whose dedication helped bring this man back to the UK to face justice for Keaton’s death.

“Above all, I thank Louise and Clint for their resilience in keeping Keaton at the forefront of everyone’s minds and their refusal to accept the man responsible for this tragedy could not be brought to justice. They have shown remarkable dignity throughout, and I wish them well as they attempt to rebuild their lives."

Building the case: Extradition from a country with a nationality bar

At the outset of the case, the prospects of achieving justice for Keaton appeared bleak. Aleksanders Dolars had absconded to a country with no legal framework to extradite their own nationals back to the UK.

West Midlands police approached the CPS at a very early stage. Their investigation was hampered by Dolars’ absence, so the two agencies formed a strong partnership to identify possible options of building a case in spite of the suspect not being in the UK.

Throughout the process, Keaton’s parents continued their campaign for justice, involving their MP and visiting the Latvian embassy to put their case forward. The CPS prosecutor in the case established a continued dialogue with them, even though there were limitations on what could legally be shared with them during such a complex and delicate process.

The prosecution team supported by our Liaison Prosecutors in the region. The CPS extradition unit and colleagues across government built a strong working relationship with the Latvian authorities. The first priority was to gather and secure the evidence needed for the reviewing lawyer to authorise a charge. The Latvian authorities gathered evidence on behalf of the investigation team and this, along with a meticulous investigation by West Midlands police, meant we had an evidentially strong case. With that achieved, we worked together to identify and agree possible routes to justice. Ultimately given the nature and sensitivity of the case, the Latvian authorities determined that legislative change was justified to remove the nationality bar preventing the extradition of their own nationals.

As a result of this collaborative work, the Latvian law was changed. Dolars was arrested in Latvia and a court in that country found that there was a case for him to answer in the UK, so authorised his extradition.

Once back in the UK, Dolars, faced with compelling evidence that identified him as the driver of the vehicle involved in the fatal collision, which was supported by independent evidence which showed the manner of his driving fell far below that expected of a careful and competent driver, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.