Family’s despair as killer driver moved to open jail
NOTORIOUS Snapchat killer driver Addil Haroon has been moved to an open prison – despite serving just a third of his six-year sentence.
The family of his victim Joseph Brown-Lartey have also heard Haroon will be allowed out for visits – a move they’ve described as a ‘massive kick in the teeth.’
Joseph, 25, died instantly when the Audi A6 hire car driven by Haroon, 19, ran a red light at 80mph and smashed into his car at a crossroads in Rochdale in 2014.
The impact of the crash was so severe Joseph’s vehicle, also an Audi, split in two.
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court was told Haroon – who only had a provisional licence – tried to flee the scene in a taxi after the smash.
The court also heard Haroon, of Essex Street, Rochdale, had taken a picture on his mobile phone the previous night while racing on the M62 at 142mph. He told friend in a Snapchat message attached to the picture: “Leeds to Rochdale in 11 minutes. Catch me.”
Haroon was locked up for six years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving, driving while unlicensed and driving while uninsured, but there was a furious public backlash to the sentence with hundreds calling for him to be jailed for longer.
Joseph’s parents Ian and Dawn, from Marland, Rochdale, have now received a letter from the probation service to say Haroon will soon be allowed supervised, followed by unsupervised visits off site.
Dawn said: “The shock of that letter again just leaves you in total disbelief at the justice system.
“He’ll have served just over two Addil Haroon and his Snapchat speeding picture years in a young offenders institution and you just can’t get your head around it. No one said he was a dangerous criminal but he did kill our son and needs to serve his sentence – no less.”
Ian added: “It’s like the victims don’t matter. It was a shock to hear in court that he would serve half of his six year sentence but now to be told by our victim liaison officer that he will be soon let out on supervised, followed by unsupervised visits, is just a massive kick in the teeth, it hurts.
“We’re victims and we keep being victims over and over again.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said it doesn’t comment on individual cases.