A mother has called a 12 month sentence for the man who caused the death of her son "an insult".

Joanne O'Keefe, the mother of 18-year-old Alfie O'Keefe Hedges, has said she felt justice was not done after the man who caused Alfie's death by careless driving, Ali Bahramzadeh, 23, was only given 12 months in prison and two and a half years suspension from driving.

Ms O'Keefe, who was at the sentencing, said: "I was in utter shock, I couldn't believe what was actually happening.

"I felt like an insult."

Ms O'Keefe said the whole family was in shock to hear the short sentence, and are attempting to start a petition to seek change that will mean others do not get similar sentences.

She said: "I would love there to be a change for Alfie - for justice for him. But if not a change for this man's sentence, a change for someone else's.

"It sends out such a bad message that you can go out in the car and if someone died you will just get 12 months and serve six."

On November 17, 2016, Bahramzadeh, of Clifton Gardens in Golders Green, took his mother's Nissan Pixo without permission and drove with a group of people along Ashurst Road, North Finchley.

He drove the car straight over a roundabout, colliding with Alfie, who was on a moped, and was subsequently thrown over the vehicle.

Bahramzadeh and his passengers left the car at the scene and ran away, leaving Alfie with a serious head injury.

For Ms O'Keefe, this fact is one that causes a great deal of upset.

She said: "I just think about how he just left him there - to leave someone to die on the side of the road.

"It makes me think 'how are you brought up to think that is acceptable?'"

The Hatfield teenager was taken by London Air Ambulance to a hospital in east London, where he died on November 25, 2016.

Ms O'Keefe said she was collecting her daughter from near the incident on the day it happened, and had an "instinct" that it was him.

She said: "He had phoned me literally an hour before and asked me what was for dinner. He said 'can we have chicken nuggets?' because it is his favourite dinner.

"I just turned round and went back and spoke to a policewoman. I asked and she said it was a moped and I should get to the hospital. I was just screaming in the road."

Bahramzadeh handed himself in at around 11pm on the day of the incident, and was then charged and arrested in May 2017.

None of the passengers were identified despite attempts to locate them.

Ms O'Keefe and her family have attempted to start a petition over the sentencing, but this has been closed down by the hosting site.

She said of Alfie: "He was very quiet and gentle. He had never been in trouble at school, never had a detention.

"There was nothing but good words to say about him - he was a very loved child and his friends thought the world of him.

"He was just a good boy."

Her message to other drivers taking to the road is to "think twice" and consider other road users so something similar will not happen again.

She said: "There are other innocent people on the road. You do not have the right to be there. It is not just you but other people.

"You might do six months but my sentence is for life because someone thought it was ok to get in the car and drive around."