Oldbury crash: Driver jailed for causing death of teenagers after car ploughed into pedestrians
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A dangerous driver who was “showing off” his heavily modified vehicle at a car meet when he killed two teenagers and seriously injured two others has been jailed.
Dhiya Al Maamoury, 56, has been sentenced at Wolverhampton[1] Crown Court to over 10 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving, after his car ploughed into a group of people.
He had admitted to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury in September.
It will be almost two years since Liberty Charris, 16, and 19-year-old Ben Corfield, both from Dudley[2], were killed.
Ms Charris and Mr Corfield died after a blue Nissan Skyline hit several pedestrians who were gathered on the A457 Oldbury Road near the junction with Crystal Drive in Oldbury[3], near Birmingham[4], at around 11.30pm on November 20 2022.
The court heard Al Maamoury was driving dangerously at a car meet – which was arranged on social media – where he knew there were pedestrians watching.
The point was for drivers to cruise up and down and around the roads of Oldbury[5] and Smethwick[6] with drivers showing off their cars, be it modified cars or cars that were speeding.
Liberty Charris, 16, was pronounced dead on the A457 Oldbury Road in Oldbury, after a car struck a group of people in November 2022 Credit: West Midlands Police/PA
Two others were also seriously injured in the collision[7], with Ethan Kilburn suffering a fractured pelvis, foot and right arm while Ebonie Parkes was left with fractured ribs, hips, leg and shoulder and a collapsed lung.
Al Maamoury has been sentenced to 13-and-a-half years on count one for causing death by dangerous driving and he has been disqualified from driving for 14 years.
In a tribute released after her death, Ms Charris’s family said: “Liberty, our beautiful baby girl and sister.
“So loved by her family and friends, they were all so proud of the gorgeous young lady you were becoming.
“With your heart of gold, bright blue eyes and beaming smile, your aim in life was to make everyone happy, with your funny accents and loud laugh.
“From the moment you were born we were all so in love with you, you loved life and had an amazing future ahead of you.
“Our hearts are shattered into pieces. Shine bright up there our beautiful girl.”
Ben Corfield, 19, was also killed in the incident in Oldbury Credit: West Midlands Police/PA
In a separate tribute issued by the West Midlands force[8], Mr Corfield’s family said at the time: “What can we say other than Ben was the light of our lives. He was a larger-than-life character with a huge heart that was made of gold.
“Nothing will ever heal the massive hole in our lives – our hearts are broken forever.
“We waited so long for Ben to come along and complete our family, and we feel privileged to have had him as our son and brother for the last 19 years.”
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes from their Serious Collison Investigation Unit said: “The events and trauma of that day will never go away.
“These young people that were just starting their lives have now lost them because one person decided to show off.
“The decisions you make when driving can change the lives of someone forever and it takes just one second to make the wrong one.”
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References
- ^ Wolverhampton (www.itv.com)
- ^ Dudley (www.itv.com)
- ^ blue Nissan Skyline hit several pedestrians who were gathered on the A457 Oldbury Road near the junction with Crystal Drive in Oldbury (www.itv.com)
- ^ Birmingham (www.itv.com)
- ^ Oldbury (www.itv.com)
- ^ Smethwick (www.itv.com)
- ^ Two others were also seriously injured in the collision (www.itv.com)
- ^ West Midlands force (www.itv.com)
- ^ our weekly newsletter (itvnews.substack.com)