'It feels like a kick in the teeth': Family of boy, 13, killed by hit-and-run driver set for early prison release say they are 'devastated' after thug only served two years

Published: 15:08, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 15:08, 9 August 2026 The family of a boy who died in a cocaine-fuelled hit-and-run crash have said they are 'devastated' after being told his killer will walk free after just two years in jail. Kaylan Hippsley, 13, was mowed down in the quiet village of Hirwaun in South Wales on the evening of February 29, 2024, as he stood outside a Co-op store with his friends. His killer, 19-year-old Harley Whiteman, was driving a Ford Fiesta - with witnesses estimating the car was travelling between 40mph and 60mph when it tried to swerve away from a vehicle in the opposite direction. Footage showed Whiteman speeding down a quiet road, narrowly avoiding parked cars and barely stopping at a junction. His car then mounted the kerb and hit Kaylan, causing him to suffer multiple fatal injuries. It has now emerged Whiteman is due to be released under licence this autumn as part of the Government's early release scheme. The killer was originally sentenced to six years and nine months in prison and banned from driving for eight years and four months. Following an appeal by Kaylan's family, a High Court judge increased the sentence to nine years. Kaylan Hippsley (pictured), 13, was mowed down in the quiet village of Hirwaun in South Wales on the evening of February 29, 2024, as he stood outside a Co-op store with his friends Harley Whiteman, 19, (pictured) was driving the Ford Fiesta that hit Kaylan at around 6.15pm on February 29, 2024, as the boy was standing outside a Co-op store with his friends However, the family have since been informed Kaylan has had his sentence whittled down to four years and is set to be freed on licence after serving just two of them. Julie Craig, Kaylan's cousin, said they had received a phone call from the victim support team two weeks ago, informing them of a change to Whiteman's prison conditions. Expressing her family's 'devastation' at the news, Ms Craig told the BBC: 'It beggars belief that after two years he's allowed back into the community. 'Kaylan's grandmother, who is his legal guardian, is absolutely distraught. She's been unable to return to the home she shared with him. This just feels like a kick in the teeth.' Ms Craig said her family wanted the decision to be reversed - adding Kaylan's age at the time of the incident should be taken into account. She said: 'If it means building new prisons, then that's what they need to do.' Following the crash, Whiteman was alleged to have stopped a student nurse performing CPR on Kaylan, saying: 'Do you think I give a f*** about this kid on the floor? Why the f*** don't you all just leave him and stop doing that.' Bystanders tried to move Whiteman away as he became agitated and shouted at a man who asked him about his car. He responded: 'I don't know what you're talking about... I haven't got a car, I don't even drive.' Whiteman also offered a man a fight as Kaylan lay dying in the road. The tragedy happened on a quiet village street in Hirwaun, South Wales  Kaylan suffered multiple fatal injuries as a result of the collision and died days later in hospital Police attended and the driver had to be restrained as he was arrested, with officers believing him to be extremely intoxicated. Kaylan died in hospital on March 3, having never regained consciousness. He was a pupil at Aberdare Community School and was a keen football and rugby player. He lived with his grandmother Kay Hippsley, and lost his father at the age of six. He enjoyed playing with friends in the village and in the YMCA. Kaylan was described as a 'cheeky chappie' who was 'polite, creative and lovely'. Paying tribute after his death, his sister Olivia said: 'Harley Whiteman has taken something from our family that can never be given back. We live in fear we will have to pass him in the street but we hope it will be a long time before we have to deal with this. 'Kaylan was a bright, intelligent young boy who had his whole life ahead of him, he loved playing rugby and was loved by all that knew him.  'I dropped to the floor screaming when I heard the worst news of my life, that Kaylan had been hit by a car, and my heart shattered into a million pieces. 'This happened in front of his friends who had to see their friend die in front of their eyes in the worst possible way.' The Ministry of Justice said it wants to 'block more offenders from getting out sooner into their sentence', but insisted this could not happen without 'risking prisons reaching capacity and collapsing'. 'If that happened, police could not make arrests, courts could not remand offenders and there would be unchecked criminality on our streets,' a spokesman added. 'We are pulling every lever to protect the public and cut crime - building prison places at the fastest rate since the Victorian era, launching the biggest ever expansion of tagging to toughen community punishment and increasing support to victims, giving them a say in the strict licence conditions of offenders.'