The parents of a 12-year-old boy killed in a hit-and-run in Coventry have won a two-year fight to bring the driver back from Latvia, after his extradition in a case that proceeded despite the absence of a post-Brexit treaty. Aleksanders Dolars was jailed on Friday for nine years and four months for killing Keaton Slater in June 2024.
Keaton was hit by a BMW travelling at 70mph in a hit-and-run in Coventry. Dolars fled the scene and travelled to Latvia in the weeks after Keaton’s death, police later confirmed. His family, also from Latvia, had packed up and left their home a day or two earlier, Louise Slater discovered when she went there to plead for them to hand him in.
Dolars was identified by police as the main suspect on 18 June, four days after the crash. Police later confirmed he had travelled to Latvia in the weeks following Keaton’s death, having tracked him through phone records.
The UK and EU have no extradition treaty in place after Brexit. Bringing Dolars back required a lengthy legal battle and co-operation between both countries. The case is the first time Latvia has extradited an individual since a nationality bar was imposed on the UK in 2021 under post-Brexit legislation.
In February 2026, the Latvian government considered legislation to allow citizens to be extradited to the UK for prosecution. The family’s campaigning helped bring about a new law under which instances of extradition would now be considered on a case-by-case basis. Keaton’s parents had campaigned relentlessly, contacting the Latvian embassy and securing a meeting in April 2025 with Atis Lots, Latvia’s ambassador to the UK.
"They wouldn't even call him by his name," Louise said. "They called him the black sheep of Latvia. [They said] 'we don't want him here. We'll do anything we can to get him into your prisons'."
Taiwo Owatemi, MP for Coventry North West, said the Latvian ambassador told her his country did not want a difficult relationship with the UK given the proximity of Latvia to Ukraine and its continuing war with Russia, and that Latvians were angry at what had happened.
"When you have Latvians in Latvia asking for justice, when you have Latvians in the UK asking for justice, that's his number one job as ambassador," Owatemi said.
Tamina Greaves, specialist prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service in the West Midlands, said the family's "diligence and determination" to articulate the tragedy had changed an initial lack of appetite to change the legislation. She travelled to The Hague with colleagues to meet Latvian counterparts.
Dolars was arrested and detained in Latvia in July 2026 and extradited a month later.
"When you sit down and you look his family in the face, I want to be able to say to them 'we've done everything we possibly can'," said Detective Chief Inspector Sam Lewis of West Midlands Police.
Louise said she burst out crying on learning of the extradition. "I said... the first thing I'm going to do is come home and tell Keaton. I talk to Keaton every day," she said.
She thanked the Latvian authorities and said the community had rallied around the family. "We had so much love from this... because we weren't community people before this," she said. "It's amazing. What an amazing legacy for Keaton."
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case sets a precedent for post-Brexit extradition between the UK and EU, with Latvia the first country to extradite a citizen on a case-by-case basis under the changed law.
- It shows the power of sustained public and political campaigning to overcome legal and diplomatic barriers in cross-border justice.
- The outcome provides a measure of closure for a grieving family and demonstrates co-operation between UK and Latvian authorities.
Background
Keaton Slater, 12, was struck by a BMW driven at 70mph on a residential street in Coventry on 14 June 2024. The driver fled and left the UK for Latvia within days, aided by the absence of a post-Brexit extradition treaty between the UK and the EU. His family's two-year campaign to bring him back involved the Latvian ambassador, the local MP, and ultimately a change in Latvian law to allow case-by-case extraditions.
Key Perspectives
Keaton's mother Louise Slater: described how she went to Dolars' home to plead with his family and later found they had left the country; she said she talked to Keaton every day and was grateful for the support.
Latvian ambassador Atis Lots: called Dolars "the black sheep of Latvia" and said his country would do anything to get him into UK prisons.
Taiwo Owatemi, MP for Coventry North West: noted the Latvian ambassador said his country did not want a difficult relationship with the UK given the proximity to Ukraine and the war with Russia, and that Latvians were angry and ashamed.
Tamina Greaves, CPS prosecutor: said the family's "diligence and determination" to keep Keaton at the forefront changed the initial lack of appetite for legislative change.
Detective Chief Inspector Sam Lewis: said it was an "indescribable day" when Dolars was handed over.
What to Watch
- Whether other EU countries follow Latvia's lead in allowing case-by-case extraditions to the UK.
- The impact of the family's campaign on future cases where UK citizens seek justice across borders without a formal extradition treaty.
- The ongoing relationship between the UK and EU on judicial co-operation, particularly in criminal matters.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedLouise Slater said the ambassador’s side would not call Dolars by name, called him the “black sheep of Latvia” and said they wanted him in UK prisons.BBC News: ““They wouldn't even call him by his name,” she said. “They called him the black sheep of Latvia. "[They said] 'we don't want him here. We'll do anything we can to get him into your prisons'.””
- SupportedTaiwo Owatemi said that justice for Latvians in Latvia and the UK was the ambassador’s number one job.BBC News: ““When you have Latvians in Latvia asking for justice, when you have Latvians in the UK asking for justice, that's his number one job as ambassador,” Owatemi said.”
- SupportedTamina Greaves said the family’s “diligence and determination” to explain their tragedy changed the initial lack of appetite to change the legislation.BBC News: “She said from the outset there “wasn't an appetite to change the legislation”, but the family's “diligence and determination” to articulate the tragedy they were experiencing changed that.”
- SupportedDetective Chief Inspector Sam Lewis said she wanted to be able to tell the family that everything possible had been done.BBC News: ““When you sit down and you look his family in the face, I want to be able to say to them 'we've done everything we possibly can',” she said”
- SupportedLouise said that after learning of the extradition, she would go home and tell Keaton and that she talked to him every day.BBC News: ““I said... the first thing I'm going to do is come home and tell Keaton. I talk to Keaton every day,” she said.”
- SupportedLouise said the family had received a lot of love and described Keaton’s legacy as amazing.BBC News: ““We had so much love from this... because we weren't community people before this,” she said. “We would just go to work, the boys would go to school, we'd go round to the [social] club every now and then.. so it wasn't like you knew everyone in the street, but now we do. “It's brought people together as well, not just us with them. It's amazing. What an amazing legacy for Keaton.””
- SupportedKeaton’s parents’ two-year fight brought Dolars back from Latvia after a post-Brexit extradition hurdle.BBC News: “What followed was a relentless two-year fight by his parents to track him down and bring him back to England to face justice. ... With no extradition treaty in place between the UK and the EU following Brexit, prosecutors and authorities faced a lengthy and complex legal battle requiring co-operation from both countries.”
- SupportedDolars was jailed for nine years and four months for killing 12-year-old Keaton Slater.BBC News: “He was finally jailed on Friday, for nine years and four months.”
- SupportedThis was the first time Latvia had extradited an individual since a nationality bar was imposed on the UK in 2021.BBC News: “The case is the first time Latvia has extradited an individual since a nationality bar was imposed on the UK in 2021, as part of post-Brexit legislation changes.”
- SupportedDolars was arrested and detained in Latvia in July 2026 and extradited a month later.BBC News: “Dolars was arrested and detained in Latvia in July this year and extradited a month later.”
- SupportedThere was no extradition treaty in place between the UK and the EU following Brexit.BBC News: “With no extradition treaty in place between the UK and the EU following Brexit, prosecutors and authorities faced a lengthy and complex legal battle requiring co-operation from both countries.”
- SupportedThe family’s campaigning helped bring about a new law under which extradition cases would be considered case by case.BBC News: “Campaigning by the family had helped bring about a new law where instances of extradition would now be considered on a case-by-case basis.”