Driver caused devastating injuries

A man from Maidenhead has been handed a 10-month prison sentence for a crash in Twyford that left two people with life changing injuries.

Zahin Ali, aged 20, of Laggan Road, was sentenced to 10months in prison and banned from driving for two years following a hearing in Reading Crown Court on Monday.

Ali was driving a Vauxhall Astra along A4 Bath Road in the direction of Reading when he failed to stop at a roundabout on June 2, 2023.

He hit two cyclists, a woman in her forties and a woman in her fifties, who police have said both sustained life-changing injuries.

He had been charged on September 28 through postal requisition and pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving on December 13, 2023.

Investigating officer Sergeant Matthew Cadmore, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: “The victims’ lives and those of their families have been tipped upside down due to Zahin Ali deciding to drive so carelessly.

“Everyone has the right to travel on the road safely, whether by car, motorcycle, pedal cycle, horse or on foot.

“Drivers should take extra care to avoid collisions with vulnerable road users, because a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist or horse rider will always come off worse. Whenever and wherever you drive.”

He urged drivers to: watch their speed, expect to encounter other road users, be patient, be ready for others mistakes, concentrate only on driving and to never use a mobile phone while driving.

PC Cadmore added: “I hope this sentence serves as a reminder to people who chose to drive in such a manner that there are consequences not only for them but for others too.”