Albanian pair 'removed and dumped number plates' of car involved in a crash which left a man dead, court hears
Thomas Wallace was struck by a grey Mercedes estate car in Gillingham, Kent, just after 12pm on Monday and was then carried on the roof of the car for more than a mile.
By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER
Published: 07:57 GMT, 2 January 2026 | Updated: 10:38 GMT, 2 January 2026
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Two Albanian men have been charged after a pedestrian in his 80s died when he was hit by a car.
The elderly man was killed after being hit by a grey Mercedes estate car on the A289 Gads Hill in Gillingham on Monday, December 29.
He was found on Grange Road in the Medway town, more than a mile from where he was hit.
The car was located nearby and the two occupants fled on foot, police said.
On Friday morning, Kent Police said Albert Matraxhiu, 28, of Orange Hill Road, Edgware, north London, had been charged with death by dangerous driving.
Erald Paci, 29, of Five Way Court, Chatham, Kent, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.
The force said both men are Albanian nationals and have been remanded to appear in Medway Magistrates' Court later today.
Emergency services rushed to the incident at around 12.10pm as paramedics treated the man at the scene. However, he was later pronounced dead.
Emergency services rushed to the incident on the A289 Gads Hill at around 12.10pm as paramedics treated the man at the scene, who was later pronouced dead
Pictured: Police cordoned off the junction in Gillingham following the fatal collision
The incident sparked a major emergency services response with more than 20 police, fire and ambulance vehicles sent to the scene, as well as the air ambulance and police helicopter.
Resident Ralph Belmonte said the man was found by a postman outside his home, more than a mile away from the collision.
'The air ambulance landed in the field nearby, and they had drones and police dogs searching,' Mr Belmonte said.
'This lane has always been isolated, and there has been some incidents, but nothing to this scale.
'The police and ambulance crews were so quick. There were around 20 cars here. The emergency response was well coordinated.'
A resident of Gads Hill, close to where the man was hit, said the roads were closed off until 6pm on the day of the incident.
She added: 'They were cordoned off for hours. I was driving home and saw they had shut the carriageway on the other side. It is horrendous.'