Footballer Rai Vloet has been given a prison sentence of two and a half years for causing a road crash in which a four-year-old boy died.

The 27-year-old was recorded driving at more than 200 km/h just before his car ran into the back of another vehicle on the A4 motorway near Hoofddorp in November 2021. The impact killed Gio Roos, who was sitting on the back seat.

A judge said Vloet had been ‘extremely irresponsible’ in getting behind the wheel after consuming ‘two or three glasses of strong drink’ at a party.

‘His actions caused an irretrievable loss. No punishment can take away the pain and sorrow,’ the judge said as he sentenced Vloet, who was not in court for the verdict.

The player, who was on the books of Heracles Almelo at the time, now plays for FC Ural Yekaterinburg in Russia. The Netherlands has no extradition treaty with Russia, but Vloet’s lawyer, Erik Thomas said he was prepared to serve his sentence.

Vloet intially refused to say if he was driving the vehicle, but later admitted to being at the wheel. He was taking a group of friends from a party in Amsterdam to Rotterdam when the crash happened.

A breath test taken at the scene recorded an alcohol level of 515 micrograms per litre, more than twice the legal limit.

Thomas told Omroep West the player was considering whether to appeal against the sentence. Prosecutors had demanded a three and a half year jail term.