Audi driver who killed two boys in ‘truly appalling’ crash jailed for 13 years
An Audi driver who killed two boys and seriously injured their mother in a high-speed crash before fleeing the scene has been jailed for 13 years. Mohammed Sullaiman Khan, 28, reached speeds of 92mph in a 40mph zone while driving his Audi RS3 "competitively" against a Bentley Continental before he hit a BMW being driven by Arathi Nahar in Birmingham New Road in Wolverhampton on March 14 2019.
Ms Nahar was left with damage to her coccyx and three displaced spinal fractures as a result of the "truly appalling" crash at a junction, but her sons Sanjay, 10, and 23-month-old Pawanveer Singh, suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene.
The mother and her sons, who were in their pyjamas, had been heading home at around 8.45pm after collecting a meal from a fish and chip shop where their dad worked when their car was hit by Sullaiman Khan, who left the scene of the crash and was later seen in a burger bar in Sparkbrook, Birmingham. Bentley driver Hamza Shahid was cleared of causing the deaths of the boys after a three-week trial in September.
Prosecutor Robert Price told Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday that Sullaiman Khan, of Pershore Road in Edgbaston, returned to the scene of the fatal crash at around 11pm that night but did not hand himself in.
The same night, Sullaiman Khan's brother, Mohammed Asim Khan, 36, made a false report to West Midlands Police saying that the Audi had been stolen in a burglary - a claim Mr Price said he backed up in another call an hour later.
The next day, Sullaiman Khan himself made what Judge Michael Chambers KC said was an "audacious" call to the police telling them to "do your job" and find his car. Two days after the crash on March 16 2019, Sullaiman Khan turned up at a police station to hand himself in and presented a prepared statement denying any involvement, but later admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, one count of causing serious injury and perverting the course of justice.
His brother, Asim Khan, of Shaftmoor Lane, Hall Green, also denied involvement but was found guilty at trial of perverting the course of justice for lying to police about the burglary and was given an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Before the pair were sentenced on Tuesday, the court was read a statement from Ms Nahar, which told how her life changed the day her "beautiful" sons were killed.
Sullaiman Khan, wearing a grey suit, and Asim Khan, wearing a checked shirt and a dark body warmer, looked down as the statement was read by Mr Price. It said: "My sons gave me joy and a reason to get up each day.
"They had their own strong bond and relationship and Sanjay would sing songs and nursery rhymes to his brother and I would hear the laughter and fun they had between them. "My house, my life and I died on March 14 2019.
Every birthday and Christmas, I feel I am not able to function because the trauma is unbearable. "My confidence and happiness has all been stripped away. This should never have happened but it did.
Why did this tragedy happen to me and my two special sons? "My sons' lives were taken in a horrific way and there is no coming back from that." Defending, Michael Duck KC said Sullaiman Khan had written a letter explaining his remorse for his actions, adding that becoming a father in July last year had given him "genuine insight" into the pain he had caused.
But Judge Chambers said he did not accept that Sullaiman Khan was remorseful for causing "the most serious of road traffic collisions" and fleeing the scene, saying it must have been "obvious" he had at least caused serious injuries to those in the car he had crashed into.
He said: "The facts of this case are truly shocking. Two young children lost their lives and their mother was seriously injured. "You, Mohammed Sullaiman Khan, then ran off and engaged in an elaborate cover-up assisted by Mohammed Asim Khan to try and frustrate any police investigation.
"The loss of two young boys in circumstances such as these is quite unimaginable. These boys were clearly much loved by their parents. "What happened was truly appalling and completely unlawful.
Nothing I can say will put the clock back. "It must have been plainly obvious to you that the people in the other vehicle were at least seriously injured and yet you chose to run away." Sullaiman Khan was jailed for 11 years for causing the deaths of Sanjay and Pawanveer, 38 months to run concurrently for seriously injuring their mother and two years to run consecutively for perverting the course of justice.
He was also disqualified from driving for seven years upon his release and must take an extended driving test.
There were sobs from the public gallery as he was taken down to the cells.
Judge Chambers said he had been "persuaded" to suspend Asim Khan's sentence after his barrister Ekwall Singh Tiwana told the court his client had been "used by others who are more intelligent than him", had learning difficulties as well as autism and alcohol dependency and needed assistance with his mental health.