Speeding Driver killed 12-year-old Boy on Pedestrian Crossing
“you disregarded the weight of traffic on the road.” A speeding driver was jailed for eight years and nine months after he fatally struck a 12-year-old boy on a pedestrian crossing. Azaan Khan died after his bicycle was hit by a car as he crossed the A45 Coventry Road in Yardley, Birmingham, on the evening of June 8, 2023.
CCTV footage established that Shazad Alam, who was driving a red BMW M3, had been speeding between 53 and 62mph just before he struck Azaan. Judge Kristina Montogomery said the speed Alam was driving at was “incompatible with safe usage” and he had made a “deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road”. Alam crossed three lanes of traffic before the crash, further hindering his view of the road ahead.
The judge said: “The collision was caused because you disregarded the weight of traffic on the road.” The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He had previously been disqualified from driving twice and had accrued several points on his licence, including for speeding over 35mph above the speed limit.
Witnesses had described Alam speeding up prior to the crossing “plainly irritated by slow-moving traffic ahead” of him. Judge Montgomery said: “Your preoccupation with beating slow-moving traffic to your destination caused you to accelerate.”
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She acknowledged that Alam was “genuinely remorseful” for the pain and suffering he had caused but did not recognise his driving as being dangerous. The judge added: “Azaan was a vulnerable road user with a bicycle, which offered no protection against lethal vehicles particularly driven at speed.
“His parents had to bear witness to attempts to save his life. His death would have been instant.” At Birmingham Crown Court, Alam was jailed for eight years and nine months and banned from driving for an additional seven years.
Paying tribute to Azaan, his family said his smile and charisma “would fill any room he was in” and he had “left an imprint on anyone who was lucky enough to meet him”. The statement read: “Azaan was our light, our comfort when life becomes too heavy, our warmth when the world felt cold.”
“We can only hope that Azaan’s name, his story, will do something and will make people realise that we cannot let this be normal.” Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, of West Midlands Police, said the incident showed the consequences of driving in a “clearly aggressive manner”. “This type of driving is not acceptable on any of our roads.
“I need all drivers to look at this and other cases and realise the consequences of those split-second decisions they make.” Lead Editor Dhiren is our news and content editor who loves all things football. He also has a passion for gaming and watching films.
His motto is to “Live life one day at a time”.