A man reportedly smiled in the dock as he was jailed for 12 years for killing a child actor and his aunt after being chased in a stolen car by police.

Joshua Dobby mowed down talented 10-year-old Makayah McDermott and his aunt Rozanne Cooper, 34, after losing control of a stolen Ford Focus.

The 23-year-old drove four times above the speed limit of 20mph, the wrong way down a one way street, and was still travelling at 50mph as he mounted the kerb.

Ms Cooper had been walking down a busy road in Penge, south east London, with her daughter Eva, Makayah and his older twin sisters Niyah and Yahla, 13, when the car ploughed into them.

Dobby smirked as he was led from the dock at the Old Bailey after being sentenced to 12 years with an extended licence period of three years.

His girlfriend was in the passenger seat when he used the same car to drive the wrong way on the A228 in Snodland five days before the tragic accident.

He stole the car after finding the keys in the street and was on his way to sell it to buy drugs.

Police abandoned their chase as he drove at 80mph through red lights and through a 30mph zone at 70mph in Penge.

The court also heard Dobby had offended since the age of 14 due to drug use and had also stolen a car in 2010 in which he crashed into railings.

As Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC jailed Dobby, he said the evidence was not clear enough to decide if he was high at the time of the crash, but that traces of heroin and cocaine were in his system.

He said: “No sentence can equate to the value of the precious lives that were taken that day.

“No sentence can ever make up for the dreadful consequences of your actions.

“The pain and anguish you have caused to this family has left them in turmoil and overwhelmed by grief.

“That 10-year-old boy was so loved and full of talent and promise for the life which he never got to live.

“You drove with no regard for the safety of other road ushered or pedestrians.

“I’m sure your intention was to force police to abandon their pursuit due to your reluctance to return to prison.

“This demonstrates a terrible escalation of offending which led you to take increasing risks and to lose control.

“The gravity of the crimes you have committed and your entrenched criminal behaviour means you pose an imminent and serious risk to members of the public.”

Dobby was jailed for 12 years concurrently after admitting two counts of manslaughter as well as three years and four months in prison for causing serious injury by dangerous driving on August 31 last year and 16 months for dangerous driving five days earlier.

He was also banned from driving for 15 years and will have to retake a driving test.