A 36-YEAR-OLD man has appeared before York Magistrates Court accused of killing a child in a hit and run when drink and drug driving.

The 12-year-old girl had just got off a school bus and was crossing West Acres, Byram west of Selby when she was hit in the afternoon of September 28.

She was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries and died later.

Gary Smith, of Summerfield Drive, Brotherton, faces seven charges including causing the girl’s death by careless driving while drug driving and causing her death by careless driving while drink driving and perverting the course of justice by reporting that his Vauxhall Astra.

He is accused of being at the wheel of a Vauxhall Astra that failed to stop and to have failed to have notified the authorities within 24 hours of the incident, drink driving and driving with an illegal amount of benzoylecgonine in his body.

He was released on bail and will appear at York Crown Court later this month.