“The collision resulted from pedal confusion, and his driving clearly fell far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver”
A van driver who was driving an electric vehicle for the first time has been jailed for eight years for killing a student he crashed into after mixing up the controls. Christopher Jackson, 27, lost control of the van, knocked down an iron gate which hit two other people, then struck university student Aalia Mahomed, who was sitting on a bench on the Strand in central London.
The girl, who was 20, died, and Irem Yoldas, 28 and a Yamin Belmessous, 24, were left with severe and life-changing injuries. Ms Mahomed, who was studying at King’s College London, died at the scene on March 18 last year. Jailing Jackson, 27, from Southampton, Judge Philip Katz KC said the defendant was “taken by surprise” as soon as he put the vehicle in motion, adding that he was “pressing or pumping on the accelerator thinking it was the brake”.
Jhat morning, Jackson was instructed for work to collect two electric vehicles from Bush House in Aldwych.
After leaving Bush House’s courtyard, the defendant drove at speed towards iron gates that led to the pedestrian zone of the Strand. Jackson crashed into the gate, which fell and hit Irem Yoldas, 28, and Yamin Belmessous, 24, who suffered life-changing injuries.
He then drove forward on to a flower bed, before colliding with Ms Mahomed, who was sitting on a bench on the other side of the greenery facing away from the vehicle.
Jackson continued, before stopping close to the wall of St Mary le Strand church. Ms Mahomed was catastrophically injured and declared dead at the scene, Fiona Robertson, prosecuting, said on Friday.
A friend, who was with Ms Mahomed at the time, confronted the driver, who said he “had no control” and the van “just took off”, the court heard. The incident lasted approximately six seconds, Ms Robertson said.
Jackson had never driven an electric vehicle before, and did not start to drive immediately, the judge said.
The van was parked behind another vehicle, which meant he had to reverse, but the evidence suggests he did not reverse, but intended to put the vehicle into reverse gear and put it into drive instead, the judge added.
Roy Pershad, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the case: “The collision resulted from pedal confusion, and his driving clearly fell far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver.”
Ms Mahomed, who was in her second year of a physics and philosophy degree, was described by her mother Samira Shafi in a statement in court as “the most amazing daughter”.
Ms Shafi became emotional as she read the statement. She said: “Not a single second has passed without me feeling an unbearable void she has left behind.”
She described going to the scene of the incident and being told by a police officer initially that her daughter was fine, before they called her the wrong name, then said her “world changed forever” when she was later told what had happened to her daughter.
Ms Shafi added: “The trauma of losing my child in such a violent manner is a nightmare that never ends.”
She said she will “always be incredibly proud to have been blessed with the most amazing daughter and to have been her mother”.
A statement from Ms Mahomed’s father, Shameer Mahomed, was read by his sister, and he said “she was always happy, never said anything bad about anybody”.
He added: “She was a friend to all of us and we all miss her terribly.”
Jessica Clarke, defending, said: “The picture painted by Mr Jackson’s partner, in-laws, friends, work references, paint the picture of, and I do not mean this in a derogatory way, an ordinary man, a worker, a father, who, had it not been for this awful six-second mistake, would have driven that van to Southampton as per his instructions and gone home to his family.”
Judge Katz said he accepted the defendant’s remorse was “immediate and genuine”.
He added: “You’ve been a hard-working father of three young children, they and your partner will also be impacted by your prison sentence.”
The defendant looked down as Judge Katz jailed him for eight years for causing death by dangerous driving, and three years each for the two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, which will run concurrently.
Jackson was told he would serve two-thirds of his sentence before being released on licence.
He was also told he would be disqualified from driving for five years, which would be extended for the period he will be in custody, and that he must pass a compulsory retest.
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