Cowardly 100mph hit-and-run driver killed two women on M4

A disqualified driver was filmed hitting 100mph on the M4 just minutes before crashing and killing two women. Liam Slade, 33, has been handed a custodial sentence of 19 years and eight months, of which he must serve at least two-thirds in prison. He was at the wheel of a VW Passat when it crashed into a Peugeot 207 on the M4 eastbound, near The Prince of Wales Bridge, earlier this year.

Emergency services rushed to the scene at around 12.05am on Monday, July 17, but Slade had fled the area in an attempt to avoid justice. Suad Ahmed, 68, and Saado Hussein, 58, who were passengers in the Peugeot died at the scene. Another occupant in the car sustained a broken neck while a fourth broke five ribs and fractured a shoulder blade.

Avon and Somerset Police[3] said all five were all on their way back from a wedding in Cardiff at the time of the collision. The family of Suad Ahmed said in a victim personal statement it was 'impossible' to summarise how the events of that day had impacted them, saying it was 'torture' not to hear from her each day. They added: "This person who appears in court today has affected all of our family's hearts in a way no one can imagine.

It is complete agony to know that we have to live with this nightmare for the rest of our lives." Saado Hussein's family described her death as a 'gut-wrenching pain that will never go away'. She worked in Bristol[4] as a school kitchen assistant and after-school club supervisor. Her family added: "Our hearts are aching.

And will ache forever. There's nothing this court or anyone else can do to bring back mum. "For us there will never be full justice.

But we hope and pray that this driver is not in a position to cause anyone else the pain and never-ending heartbreak our family has had to endure."

Witnesses reported seeing Slade driving dangerously and hitting speeds of between 100mph and 120mph. He was said to be weaving between vehicles and undertaking. A video was found during the course of enquiries recorded by the front-seat passenger Slade was driving.

Taken approximately four minutes before the collision, it shows the car was being driven at over 100mph. The 33-year-old was arrested the day after at his home in Newport. He told officers during a police interview that he'd woken up to find multiple scratches on his face, legs and body and did not know where they had come from.

However, Slade later pleaded guilty to two counts each of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while disqualified and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated offence of failing to comply with a serious crime prevention order. His Honour Judge William Hart described Slade as 'a man with a deplorable record with no regard to the law'.

As well as his prison sentence, he also received a driving disqualification of 19 years and nine months.

Officer in the case Dai Nicholas said: "What should have been a night of celebration, turned into a tragedy that months on is still hard to comprehend. "Suad Ahmed and Saado Hussein were returning from a wedding when they were killed by the dangerous driving of Liam Slade. His actions left a further three people hurt, two of them seriously, and they are continuing to recover from the physical injuries sustained that night.

"Slade had been disqualified from driving in January for a drink-driving offence. He should never have been behind the wheel that night, let alone travelling at the reckless speed he was. He committed two of the most dangerous acts any motorist can do on the roads.

"Given the choice of calling for help for those he had harmed or protecting himself, he chose to run away. "Even when he was arrested he still refused to own up to what he had done. His guilty pleas come in the face of irrefutable evidence about how dangerous his driving was.

Our hearts go out to both families who have been left devastated by what unfolded on the M4 that night.

"They have shown incredible courage to prepare victim personal statements for the court and are grateful for the support they have shown to us throughout our enquiries."

References

1. ^ Primary school just outside Bristol rated as 'requires improvement' (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
2. ^ Elderly and disabled 'abandoned, isolated and forgotten' by South Bristol bus cuts (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
3. ^ Avon and Somerset Police (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
4. ^ She worked in Bristol (www.bristolpost.co.uk)