Prison for driver who hit student and left her to die

A DRIVER who ploughed into a university student and left her to die in the middle of the road has been jailed.

Mohammed Youssaf, 33, hit 18-year-old Emma Guilbert as she crossed a road in Newcastle in November 2018, Northumbria Police said.

Officers said the “horrendous” collision propelled Miss Guilbert about 36m (120ft) along the road in the Fenham area of the city.

A force spokesman said Youssaf was believed to have been travelling at more than 40mph on the 30mph road when he struck the Newcastle University student at a pedestrian crossing on Wingrove Road.

He said the defendant was jailed for 30 months at Newcastle Crown Court after he was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. He was also given a 51-month driving ban.

The jury heard how Youssaf did not stop his Peugeot 307 after hitting Miss Guilbert. She died in hospital three days later.

Youssaf, of Wingrove Road, Fenham, eventually handed himself in to police. Miss Guilbert, who was from the Manchester area, had been a psychology student at Newcastle University for just six weeks, officers said.

Her father, Martin, said: “From the day Emma was born she lit up our lives and those around her.

“She was so caring, full of kindness, considerate in her thoughts and actions, intelligent, fun, witty – as parents we could go on, for she had so many gifts and talents.”

Inspector Ian Cutty said: “This is a horrendous case that has robbed a family of a loving young woman who had just taken her first steps into adulthood.

“Emma was starting an exciting new life in Newcastle but just weeks after her arrival she was mowed down by Mohammed Youssef and left to die alone in the middle of the road.”