The family of a west Belfast man who was killed in a hit-and-run as he walked his dog has branded the driver "a hateful, evil person" who had shown "no remorse".

Martin Sean O'Lali has been jailed for causing the death by careless driving of 42-year-old Richard Boyle in 2021.

O'Lali, 28, of Breton Court in Lisburn, was sentenced to two years and seven months in relation to what the judge described in court as a "shameful litany of events".

Belfast Crown Court heard he would serve half the sentence in custody before being released on licence. He was also disqualified from driving for three years.

Richard was walking his dog on the Stewartstown Road in February 2021 when he was hit by O'Lali's car which, the court heard, had been travelling at 90mph in a 30mph zone.

O'Lali had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving as well as driving without insurance, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report on the same day.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of perverting the course of justice the following day by making a false allegation to police that his car and mobile phone had been stolen.

Speaking after the sentencing, Richard's mother, Mary Boyle, said she was "broken".

"I've got his ashes, I've got his dog's ashes, pictures on the walls, candles," she said.

"I talk to him every night. I look at his photograph and talk to him. It's heartbreaking."

She described O'Lali as "a hateful, evil person".

Her daughter, Mary Teresa Boyle, added: "I don't think he'll ever change."

Both women, and another of Mr Boyle's sisters, Leanne Boyle, described the impact his death has had on the "very close" family, describing him as "popular" and "kind".

"He would have done anything for anybody," they said.

Passing sentence, Judge Mark Reel told the court: "There is no sentence that will ever bring Mr Boyle back to his loved ones."

Judge Reel described the impact his death had had on the family as "profound", saying while Richard had no children of his own, he served as a "father figure" to his nephews and nieces.

He also noted the "unbearable stress that the long drawn out legal process has had on the family".

He said all accounts that had been given by O'Lali to police had been "self-serving" and aimed at "minimising his responsibility".

He said probation had described O'Lali as having "a lack of victim empathy" and was considered to be at risk of further reoffending.

The court heard O'Lali has a string of previous convictions under his belt, including for excess speed.

O'Lali appeared in the dock alongside four other defendants in the case - three men and a woman, his partner Emma McCune, with whom he shares a six-month-old child.

The four other defendants in the case were all handed suspended custodial sentences.

O'Lali's father, Martin Paul O'Lali, 51, from Greenvale in Belfast, was given a 12 month sentence suspended for two years, after admitting a charge of withholding information.

Emma McCune, 29, from Breton Park in Lisburn also pleaded guilty to the same charge of withholding information. She was sentenced to 11 months, suspended for 18 months.

Hugh O'Neill, 28, from Fallswater Street in Belfast, was given a nine month sentence, suspended for 18 months, after he admitted withholding information and assisting offenders by providing a false alibi.

Jack Tiernan Holden, 26, from Oranmore Street in Belfast, also admitted withholding information and assisting offenders by providing transport on the same date. He was sentenced to 18 months, suspended for three years.

All four hugged O'Lali in the dock after their sentences were passed and before O'Lali was placed in handcuffs.

Speaking after the sentencing, Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Det Insp Dane said Richard's family had been "left heartbroken by the void of his death which has caused unimaginable pain".

"While nothing can bring Richard back, we hope that today's sentencing outcome can provide a little comfort to those who loved him, and will go some way to seeing justice served."