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No jail for driver who killed his best friend
Reporter: Court Reporter
Date online: 15 March 2010
A GLODWICK medical student who is suffering “deep remorse” after killing his best friend in a tragic car accident, has been spared jail.
Mohammed Adriece (23), of Greengate Street, was attempting to overtake another vehicle at 45mph on Oldham Road, Miles Platting, when his Volkswagen Golf careered out of control and smashed into a bus.
One of his passengers, aspiring lawyer Asam Zulqurnain (pictured), of Frederick Street, Werneth, suffered fatal injuries in the accident.
A second passenger, Zahid Shakoor, suffered serious injuries after he rocketed through the rear window of the car and landed yards down the street.
In January, a jury at Manchester Crown Court failed to reach a verdict on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Adriece then admitted a lesser charge of causing death by careless driving.
The fifth-year medical student’s conviction means that the General Medical Council will have to decide if he can pursue his chosen career in a fitness to practise hearing.
Judge Anthony Gee QC — who sentenced Liverpool university student Adriece to 250 hours’ unpaid work and an 18-month driving ban — said the case was “exceptional.”
Earlier, Robert Kearney, prosecuting, said Mr Zulqurnain’s devastated family bore no ill will towards the defendant.
Adriece had been driving three friends to Oldham when the accident happened at Oldham Road’s junction with Varley Street, Miles Platting, on March 1, 2009.
A Jeep Cherokee started to drift out of the left-hand lane without indicating just as Adriece was trying to overtake it — forcing him to steer right to avoid crashing with it. He then had to steer sharply left as he clipped a traffic island, before steering in the other direction again to avoid mounting the kerb.
The sequence of manoeuvres sent the fully-laden car into a fatal spin, before slamming into a bus.
Mr Kearney said Asam Zulqurnain took the full force of the impact and even if he had been wearing a seatbelt would still have died.
Zahid Shakoor, who also was not wearing a seatbelt, suffered fractured skull, broken ribs, and a spinal injury, but has since made a good recovery.
Sentencing, Judge Gee told Adriece: “You live daily with the knowledge of what you have done, which I’m certain is a real punishment for you and will be for very many years to come, if not for ever.”
Comments
Strange how if you kill someone intentially you go down for life, do it in a car and you get a slap on the wrist. I feel sorry for that poor mans family, justice has not been done, just because the judge bought a nice crying letter from the accused saying how sorry he was.
Unreal - absolutely unreal. He'll be driving again in 18months. There is no way he should have been spared jail for this, what will he learn from 250 hours unpaid work? Guilt alone is NOT a punishment. Let's hope the GMC give him a life sentence of never letting him practice medicine, something our own judicial system has been too soft to do.
No it's not a real punishment Judge Gee, it's a joke. Would you have said the same if he had killed someone who wasn't his friend ? Dangerous driving with no thought for anyome buy himself. Got off lightly
All intelligent young men, yet none of them wearing a seatbelt. Maybe it wouldn't have saved a life.
Driving standards around Oldham are appalling, everyone from other who towns who visits comments about it. Perhaps there are more than the one man recently caught taking driving tests for others?
He should have been banned for life after serving 10 years in prison and anyone injured should be denied compensation if they choose to not wear a seat belt.I am sick of seeing lads driving at breakneck speeds with no seatbelts and usually a mobile stuck to their ear.!! It sounds like a miracle that no one in any of the other vehicles was also killed that day.The driver is obviously completely irresponsible and we dont need that kind of person becoming a doctor.Total travesty !!!!!!
Has the Jeep driver been traced & charged? 45 in a 30 zone? I fail to see why the jury couldn't reach a verdict on dangerous driving. If Mr. Adriece had observed the speed limit this incident would never have happened.
Well at least we know that if we teel a court 'I live daily with the knowledge of what I have done' it will be considered to be a punishment. Another loopy judge who has let down the victims of this silly boy.
if you read the paper proper it would'nt of made a difference weather he had a seat belt or not he never had a chance.
community service - what a joke.
Have Your Say
Speed limit there is 30mph, he was doing 45. Kills one and seriously injures another and gets 250 hours community service?? Farce
By ProDriver @ 15/03/2010 12:35:16