Drug dealer who was filmed driving 120mph for TikTok moments before he killed two wedding guests in M4 car crash is sentenced to 19 years in prison

By Arthur Parashar[1]

Published: 23:58, 1 December 2023 | Updated: 23:58, 1 December 2023

A drug dealer who was filmed driving 120mph for a TikTok[2] moments before he killed two wedding guests in a horror M4 car crash has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Liam Slade, 32, was jailed on Friday after pleading guilty to causing the deaths of Saado Hussein, 58, and Suad Ahmed, 68, by dangerous driving.

The two women suffered catastrophic injuries after the Peugeot they were in was sent spinning off the carriageway and into the air between junctions 22 and 21 of the M4 near Bristol in July. Other family members in the car were also seriously injured.

Slade, who was handed an extended sentence of 19 years and eight months with five years on licence, fled the scene but was recognised by police officers in Newport who saw a TikTok video filmed inside his car on the night of the crash.

The shocking footage showed Slade driving his VW Passat at 125mph while his passengers were apparently inhaling nitrous oxide gas.

Liam Slade (pictured), 32, was jailed on Friday after pleading guilty to causing the deaths of Saado Hussein, 58, and Suad Ahmed, 68, by dangerous driving.

Saado Hussein (pictured) was one of the victims.

Her heartbroken daughter said it was "the most awful news no one ever expects"

In a victim statement, the heartbroken families said their lives have 'changed forever'.

Bristol Crown Court heard that father-of-two Slade has a lengthy criminal history which includes violent disorder, dangerous driving, attempted robbery, aggravated vehicle taking, conspiracy to supply drugs, inflicting grievous bodily harm, and drug driving.

Slade, of Newport, was banned from driving for three years for drink driving just six months before the fatal crash.

Alistair Haggerty, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court that the fatal collision happened in the early hours of July 17 this year.

He said multiple witnesses had reported seeing a VW Passat car on the eastbound M4 motorway at the Prince of Wales bridge between England and Wales.

The Passat was seen driving at speeds estimated to be well above 100mph as it undertook and overtook other vehicles.

Slade was at the wheel of the Volkswagen and he had three passengers in the car.

The court heard that just after the Avonmouth exit of the M4, the VW collided with the rear of a Peugeot car, causing it to spin several times before it left the carriageway.

The Peugeot then crashed down an embankment and briefly become airborne, continuing to rotate until it landed in bushes.

The Peugeot contained members of a family and a family friend from Bristol who were all heading home after attending a wedding.

The court heard a TikTok video filmed in the VW on the night of the crash then emerged which showed Slade (pictured) driving at 125mph

Mothers Saado and Suad were killed and three others were injured, two of them severely.

Slade's Passat ended up on its roof after the smash and he fled.

The court heard a TikTok video shot in the VW on the night of the crash then emerged which showed Slade driving at 125mph.

Mr Haggerty said police investigating the collision received an anonymous call naming Slade as the driver and he was arrested at home in Newport on July 18.

In his subsequent interview Slade gave officers a prepared statement in which he said he had woken up two days earlier with cuts and bruises but didn't know how they had been caused.

The court heard the defendant was subsequently identified as the driver in the TikTok video by Gwent Police officers who knew him, while DNA recovered from the airbags of the crashed Passat was matched to him.

Gouge, skid marks and debris on the motorway allowed investigators to piece together what had happened.

Officers were also able to recover the dashboard dials from the Passat which showed a speed of 125mph and an engine speed of 3,800rpm.

The prosecutor said a collision investigator had concluded the Passat was travelling at 119mph when it lost power at the point of collision, and he said the damage found on the vehicles - on the front nearside of the VW and rear offside of the Peugeot - was 'consistent with a failed overtaking manoeuvre'.

Statements read to the court on behalf of family members of the deceased outlined the devastating impacts their deaths have had.

Fatima Hudoon, daughter of Saado Hussein, said it has been 'the most awful news no one ever expects'.

'What cuts deeper is that less than two years ago our father passed away from chronic illness,' she added.

Slade, of Aberthaw Circle, Newport, had pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of causing death by disqualified driving, two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and breaching serious crime prevention order when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He has 30 previous convictions for 52 offences beginning when he was aged 15.

In 2019, Slade was jailed for a year after he was convicted for his part in a GBP2.4million cocaine gang run by gangster grandmother Angela Collingbourne.

Clare Wilks, for Slade, said there was no evidence the defendant had been intoxicated on the night of the car crash.

She said Slade wished to apologise to the victims' families, and she said the defendant had a long-term partner and two young children who - 'to his shame' - would now be on their own.

Judge William Hart said on the night in question the defendant had been seen driving in an erratic and dangerous manner along the M4, and said it could fairly be summarised that 'it was an accident waiting to happen'.

He told Slade he was a man with a 'deplorable' criminal record who had little or no regard for the law.

The judge said he was satisfied that on the facts of the case and with Slade's previous convictions that a standard determinate was not sufficient to protect the public, and that an extended sentence as a dangerous offender was necessary.

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Slade was given a 19 year and eight month extended sentence comprising 14 years and eight months in custody followed by an extended five-year licence period.

The defendant must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be let out.

Slade was disqualified from driving for a total of 19 years and nine months and must pass an extended test before the can get a licence.

References

1. ^ Arthur Parashar (www.dailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ TikTok (www.dailymail.co.uk)