Bus driver who killed woman in Victoria station crash avoids jail

Olusofa Popoola, 61, from Peckham, was behind the wheel of a 507 Go Ahead bus when he drove into the back of a stationary bus in front of him. That bus was shunted forward into pedestrian Melissa Burr, 32, who was killed. Popoola continued to accelerate for six seconds after he collided with the bus in front.

He said he had mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. On Friday (January 5) Popoola was given an 18-month suspended sentence for causing death by careless driving.

‘You are completely responsible for Melissa’s death’

Melissa’s mother Trish Burr told Popoola in court: “I make no apologies when I say your actions when driving that morning make you completely responsible for Melissa’s death.” She told Burr that while he would be able to move forward with his life, she and the rest of Melissa’s family are serving a “life sentence”.

Popoola admitted causing Melissa’s death by careless driving but he was cleared of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Prosecutor Nicola Merrick said Popoola was queuing in a line of buses outside Victoria station at around 8.30am on August 10, 2021. The bus in front, driven by Diane Mathuranayagum, moved up to the front of the queue when the first bus moved off.

She put on the parking brake, got out of her cab and went to stand by the open door. Melissa, from Rainham in Kent, used the pedestrian walkway then crossed towards Ms Mathuranayagum’s bus. As she did so, the parked bus lurched forward and hit Melissa who was propelled up and forward.

Ms Mathuranayagum, was thrown out of the door of the parked bus and onto the pavement – she sustained a broken eye socket. The driverless bus continued to be jolted forward and ran over Melissa who ended up under the bus and died at the scene. A third passenger, who was on the parked bus, was knocked unconscious during the incident.

The scene of the collision outside Victoria Station (Image: PA)At the scene Popoola told police he was in the process of stopping when his “foot slipped off the brake and on to the accelerator”. In a later prepared statement, he said: “I felt a big collision out of nowhere. I think out of shock, I may have applied my accelerator more firm instead of the brake.

I think I believed that I was pressing the brake. “I think I pressed the brake eventually to bring my vehicle to a stop but the collision had already taken place. “I was in a state of shock.

I could not believe what had happened. I remained seated for around a minute. I did not think anyone was hurt, just that I had caused damage to the vehicles.”

He said he felt terrible about what had happened and added: “It is so difficult for me to explain. I do not know what happened. I just wanted to move my bus forward and next thing I know the collision happened.”

A crash investigation concluded the defendant had continued to apply the accelerator pedal – rather than a foot brake – after impact with the stationary bus before finally using the parking brake to stop. Data from his vehicle found it was travelling at around 8mph at the point of collision and reached a peak speed moments earlier of 10mph. There was no suggestion that Popoola, a bus driver for 20 years, had deliberately driven dangerously but the prosecution argued that his actions that day fell below the standard of a careful and competent motorist.

A first jury at the Old Bailey failed to reach verdicts, but after a retrial a second jury found Popoola not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

‘Incompetent driving’

Melissa’s mum, Trish, said she believes Popoola’s driving went “far beyond careless”. She told the court: “She was the completely innocent victim of one man’s incompetent driving.” Trish described the events of that morning to the court, saying she first became aware that something was wrong when Melissa’s work colleagues called to say she hadn’t turned up.

She said she phoned hospitals and even Victoria Station to try to find Melissa. She was later visited by a police officer, who told her Melissa had died in an “incident in London”. “She was alone with no family around her,” Trish said.

Describing the impact of Melissa’s death, she said: “It’s a bit like living in a hole that gets deeper and darker.” Melissa’s brother, Graham, said he felt TfL, Go Ahead and Popoola had shown limited remorse. “I suspect to these companies Melissa’s death is considered just another statistic,” he said.

He described his sister as an extremely resilient person who was a fun and generous auntie to his children. Mitigating on behalf of Popoola, Dan Jones said he is a very religious man who has struggled to deal with the fact he has taken a life. “He describes that it haunts him and will continue to haunt him,” Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones added that Popoola is extremely remorseful and because of his own bereavements he understands to some extent the pain Melissa’s family feel. Judge Rebecca Trowler KC gave Popoola an 18-month prison sentence and decided to suspend it for two years. The judge cited the defendant’s person mitigation and the fact that prisons are currently overcrowded as reasons for this.

Popoola was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to pass an extended test before he can drive again.