The killer drivers who destroyed lives but still walked free from court
The rules of the road are there to keep us safe but those who disregard them sometimes end up in court. Deadly collisions have occurred on our streets due to the careless or inconsiderate driving of some.
They've claimed the lives of others and in at least one case in the Midlands, the life of a beloved pet. Judges and magistrates must follow strict sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council - which is an independent, non-departmental public body.
It means that not all drivers who are responsible for causing the death of another have been sent straight to jail. Here we look at some of the drivers who avoided jail for the crime.
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Kallum Aish
Kallum Aish (right) mowed down Patricia Faulkner and killed her dog whilst racing another driver
Hit-and-run driver Kallum Aish mowed down a mum and killed her dog. He crashed his Renault Clio into Patricia Faulkner and her beloved Staffordshire bull terrier Millie in Great Barr.
The 20-year-old had been racing in a Renault Clio at almost triple the 20mph speed limit when he lost control of the vehicle. He fled the scene after the collision in Doe Bank Lane in 2020.
Aish, of of Cattell Drive, in Sutton Coldfield[3], admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without a licence and insurance, criminal damage (killing the dog) as well as possession of cannabis. He received a 22-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and a three-year driving ban.
Eidnun Liaquat
Left: Meesha Afzal and Kyle Khan who died after a Mercedes they were travelling in smashed into a wall. Right: driver Eidnun Liaquat.
Speeding driver Eidnun Liaquat killed a married couple after ignoring road signs when he drove down a dead end. Kyle Khan and Meesha Afzal died instantly when the vehicle they were passengers in smashed into a wall near the M42.
About 20 minutes before the deadly crash in 2020, a police officer had seen a Mercedes being driven by Liaquat flouting a 30mph limit. He had also consumed alcohol and taken some cannabis, which was below the legal limit.
Liaquat, aged 28 at the time of sentence and of Chirbury Grove, Northfield, admitted two counts of causing death by careless driving. He was handed an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years, along with a three-year driving ban and £1,500 costs.
Keith Collins
David May, aged 76, from Sutton Coldfield, died in a collision near Mile Oak. (Image: Staffordshire Police)
'Careless driver' Keith Collins was behind the wheel of a Scania articulated lorry when he killed pensioner David May near Tamworth. A number of vehicles collided on the slip road of the A5 Thomas Guy Way, near Mile Oak[6], in May last year.
Mr May, from Sutton Coldfield[7], was driving a black VW Up when his vehicle was struck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Collins, aged 57 and of Frances Road, Stockland Green, Erdington, at the time of sentence, admitted causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving. He received a six-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, alongside a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement, £185 costs, £128 victim surcharge and an 18-month driving ban.
Paul Davies
Police at the scene in Bretton, Flintshire (Image: Ian Cooper)
Garage worker Paul Davies crushed grandad Nigel Sedgewick to death when he reversed a pick-up truck into him during a workplace tragedy. The Ford Ranger 4x4 hit Mr Sedgewick, from Bloxwich, when he momentarily stopped in the forecourt of a garage to look at his phone.
The 65-year-old was dragged under the vehicle and became trapped. Workers used hydraulic equipment to pull the truck off him but he died in hospital. The incident took place at the Evans Halshaw Ford Transit Centre, in Chester Road, in May last year.
Davies - aged 50 and of Beaumont Close, Chester, at the time of sentence - was handed an eight-month jail term, suspended for two years, for causing death by careless driving. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, given an 18-month driving ban and told to pay a £1,000 fine, £420 costs and a £156 surcharge.
Jamie Holloway
Former West Mercia Pc Jamie Holloway who was convicted today (Image: PA)
West Mercia Police officer Jamie Holloway killed a dad while responding to a 999 emergency on blue lights. He had been travelling at speeds of up to 110mph to help a suicidal man when he crashed into the back of a Ford Fiesta on the A449 between Worcester[10] and Kidderminster[11] in May 2018.
The dad, in his 50s, braked heavily but struck David Shaw's car at 75mph. Former soldier Holloway resigned from the force after he was convicted of causing death by careless driving in 2021.
He was handed an eight-month jail term, suspended for two years, and a 12-monthg driving ban. The defendant was also ordered to pay £2,300 costs and to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Keith Claringbull
Keith Claringbull admitted causing death by careless driving
Dad-of-two Keith Claringbull killed 72-year-old mum Christine Yates when he crashed into her Fiat 500 which pushed the car into the path of a lorry. It happened in 2021 on the A52 at Kingsley when the defendant failed to spot the Fiat 500.
The victim's family asked to keep Claringbull out of prison, telling how they thought it was 'unintentional' and 'just an unfortunate series of events'. A court heard how the defendant had no previous convictions or cautions and an unblemished 52-year driving history.
Claringbull - aged 72 and of King George Street, Hanley, at the time of sentence - received a two-year community order, a three-year driving ban and a £280 court bill after admitting causing death by careless driving. Read the full story here[13].
Matthew Ellson
Matthew Ellson (Image: Chester Chronicle)
'Inexperienced driver' Matthew Elleson's teenage passenger died when he 'took his eye off the road' and collided with a lorry parked in a layby. But he falsely claimed his then-girlfriend, who was also in his car, was to blame for the 2020 crash.
He was 17 at the time of the collision in Cheshire, a court heard. Ellson - aged 20 and of Church Lane, Wistaston, near Crewe, at the time of sentence - admitted causing death by careless driving.
He was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work, given a six-month curfew, a three-year driving ban and a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Read the full story here[14].
References
- ^ Why hit-and-run driver didn't go to jail for leaving mum for dead and killing her dog amid fury over sentence (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ POLL: Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? (xd.wayin.com)
- ^ Sutton Coldfield (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Mile Oak (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Sutton Coldfield (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Worcester (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Kidderminster (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.cheshire-live.co.uk)