A teenager who killed his 17-year-old friend by knocking him off his electric bike has been jailed.

Leon Jones, then 18, was riding an electric bike when he collided with Spencer Crofts who was also on an electric bike, on Hoole Road in Birkenhead at 6.23pm on 30 November 2024.

The two had been riding up and down the road, which was busy with pedestrians and cars.

There were groups of youths on both sides of the road, watching them as they rode up and down, in and out of the traffic, often on the wrong side of the road.

It was dark and the road was wet.

Just before the collision their front tyres touched the ground and they collided into each other.

Both were thrown from their bikes. Jones was taken to hospital with a broken leg.  

Spencer Crofts died at the scene. A post mortem revealed he had died from a blunt force head injury caused by the crash.

A blood test revealed Jones had illegal drugs in his system at the time, including cannabis and ketamine.

Police investigators determined Jones had been travelling between 27.18 mph and 33.22 mph immediately before. The area is a 20mph zone.

His bike was taken from the scene before the police arrived and has never been found.

When he was interviewed by police, Jones said Mr Crofts had been a long-time friend.  He said he had no memory of the collision or the lead up to it.

He was initially charged with offences of having no insurance, no licence and driving without a helmet. Jones entered guilty pleas to these offences on 4 June 2025 at Birkenhead Magistrates’ Court.

He was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty to that on 20 April 2026 at Liverpool Crown Court.

Today, 1 September 2026, at Liverpool Crown Court, he was sentenced to five years and 10 months in a Youth Offenders Institution.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Thomas Quirk, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service’s case was that Jones’s driving of the electric bike on that night was dangerous and that it contributed towards the death of Spencer Crofts.

“Jones was seen on CCTV performing highly dangerous manoeuvres, driving over the speed limit, in a dimly light area and performing ‘wheelies’ as he drove up and down the road.

“CCTV shows Jones made a deliberate decision to drive in a way which presented an obvious risk and led to the death of an old friend.

“Electric bikes are powered to be able to travel at up to 45 mph. They pose a much greater risk when ridden dangerously than a pedal cycle.

“These bikes are to be used with caution and care, none of which Leon Jones displayed on that night.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to extend our sympathies to the family of Spencer Crofts.”