A MARRIED couple who tried to dupe police have been sentenced following the death of a Bulgarian man in a hit-and-run crash in Mill Hill a year ago.

Van driver Andre Salvador, of Dunn Mead, Grahame Park, was doing at least 20mph over the speed limit when he ran down Petar Izevkou in Pursley Road on Novmber 21, 2009.

He did not stop to help the 23-year-old after the crash at about 1.30am and Mr Izevkou died, despite the best efforts of paramedics, who battled for more than an hour to save him at the scene.

Salvador, 26, went home and persuaded his wife Felizarda Nascimento, 32, to hand herself in to Colindale Police Station the next day and claim she was driving.

However, when officers studied CCTV they realised Salvador had in fact been the driver and they found he had been doing 51mph when he hit Mr Izevkou, but wanted his wife to take the blame so he could keep his job.

At Wood Green Crown Court on Friday Salvador was jailed for eight months after admitting causing death by careless driving and perverting the course of justice and banned from driving for 30 months.

Nascimento was handed a 12-month supervision order after admitting perverting the course of justice.

Detective Sergeant Chris Osborne of the Alperton traffic garage, said: "We will use every available means to identify exactly what has happened at the scene of a crash.

“In this case CCTV proved vital in proving the defendant was going at 20mph over the speed limit making it impossible for him to stop in time when the Mr Izevkou stepped into the road.

"Salvador made his situation worse by not stopping at the scene of the crash and then persuading his wife to claim she was driving.

“I am grateful that they pleaded guilty when faced with the evidence against them."