FRIENDS and family of an expectant dad killed in a hit-and-run have urged the person responsible to come forward to let him “rest in peace”.

Jack Brandon was killed when he was hit by a vehicle on the B2112 New Road in Ditchling last Sunday, just months before his partner is expected to give birth to a baby girl.

Oliver Dommett, a close friend of Jack, has said his family has found his loss “surreal” and have been “strong, but angry” in the wake of his death.

He called on the person involved in the collision to hand themselves over to police and give Jack’s family and friends closure and the chance to grieve his loss.

He said: “We all have so many unanswered questions. Jack is going to have a beautiful daughter that is going to grow up and she is going to have those questions as well.

“It will give closure to everyone if they can just be answered.

“Just do the right thing and come forward so Jack can rest peacefully.”

The Argus: Jack BrandonJack Brandon

Oliver employed the 22-year-old as an apprentice plasterer at the age of 17 and said he had seen him “grow from a boy to a man, from an apprentice to my best friend”.

He said: “He was loved by everyone - I’ve never met anyone who had a bad word to say about him.”

He recalled that on Jack’s first day working as an apprentice, he managed to wrap a plug cable of a mixer around his legs and snap it from the machine after being told to clean it.

Oliver said: “He looked at me, looked down at the floor and looked back up - I’ve never seen someone run out of the door so fast.

“He was one of those people who could annoy you but he would just pull a cheeky grin and you would forgive him for everything.”

Oliver said Jack was a hard worker with an unmatched sense of humour and a heart of gold.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash, which took place in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, July 3.

Officers are particularly keen to hear from people who may have seen a white vehicle with damage to its headlight and missing its nearside (passenger) mirror, as well as any garages that may have been asked to repair such damage since yesterday.

Anyone who saw what happened or captured any relevant dash cam footage from the area around that time is urged to email collision.appeal@sussex.police.uk, quoting Operation Kempston.

A fundraiser, set up by Oliver to help Jack’s family and his partner, has raised more than  £10,000 in the space of just a few days.

People can donate to the fundraiser at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-jacks-partner-and-daughter.