Driver killed man as he did 72mph at junction
Motorist jailed after leaving victim for dead at roadworks
AMOTORIST killed a pedestrian as he drove at 72mph through roadworks in Birmingham city centre.
Mohammed Islam, 22, struck Alexander Knight near a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Bristol Street and Lee Bank Middleway in Highgate.
He then drove away from the scene leaving 38-year-old Mr Lee dead.
Islam, of Ribblesdale Road, Selly Oak, has now been jailed for two years and five months after previously admitting causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned from the road for seven years and three months.
Anthony Warner, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: “Mr Knight was 38 and tragically died as a result of injuries he received when the defendant’s car struck him.
“He was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing from Bristol Street to Bristol Road.”
The accident occurred at around 1.30am on December 1, 2018, at a junction where there were roadworks to create a cycle route. Islam had been to the cinema with two friends and was returning home.
Mr Warner said: “He travelled that route daily to and from work and he knew of the roadworks. This is a case of dangerous driving by excessive speed.
“He was travelling more than twice the speed limit and was travelling too fast for the prevailing conditions, namely the roadworks.”
Islam had driven from Five Ways and then along Lee Bank Middleway towards the junction where the road goes down hill.
The speed limit is initially 40mph, but 100 yards before the intersection it is reduced to 30mph.
The court heard that a pedestrian crossing had been blocked off by barriers and there was a crossing point further down the road.
But these had been removed and that is where Mr Knight started to cross before he was struck in the second lane by the defendant’s Seat Leon.
Islam drove home but later handed himself. In passing sentence Judge Francis Laird QC said: “Mr Knight was crossing at the junction and you never saw him.
“Your vehicle collided with him, particularly on the near-side wing. “He was thrown up into the air and suffered catastrophic and fatal injuries. He died at the scene.
“You were aware you had struck someone but you drove on.
“I am quite satisfied that at the point you left the scene your thought was to avoid detection. That is a significant aggravating feature.”
Balbir Singh, defending, said that even if the defendant had been driving at 30mph a collision would have occurred and that Mr Knight had been wearing dark clothing.
“This is a young man,” he said of Islam. “That evening he did not go out drinking.
“He did not go out drug taking. He went to the local cinema with two friends.
“He is a deeply religious individual and this incident has hit him particularly hard.”