A UK teenager was convicted of killing an Indian-origin student’s newborn boy in a car crash. He was given a jail term of 13 years for the crime.
The man who hit an Indian-origin pregnant student and killed her newborn baby in the UK has been sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment, according to local media reports.
The victim woman was identified as Renju Joseph, 31, who was five months pregnant when she was rammed into by a speeding car driven by 20-year-old man Ashir Shahid, as she was crossing a zebra crossing on Station Road in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, in September last year, BBC reported.
Shahid, who hailed from Windsor Road in Walton-le-Dale, pleaded guilty to his crime in June and admitted to causing death by dangerous driving. His brother, Sam Shahid, was also sent to a 3-year jail term by Preston Crown Court for assisting an offender.
What Did The Court Say?
The convict was driving the Toyota Prius at an estimated speed between 58mph and 71mph (114kmh) in a zone where 30mph was allowed in dark and wet conditions, the court was told.
Sentencing them, the judge said that Ashir Shahid’s acceleration moments before the crash was “akin to what you may see on a Formula 1 race track”.
“Olive’s life lasted five hours and 38 minutes. He did not live to see dawn. His mother never saw him alive. His life was snubbed out before it really began,” BBC quoted the judge as saying.
The court slammed the defendants and said, “You seemingly have no moral compass. Throughout these proceedings, you have sat with your heads down as if in shame. You have no shame,” Metro reported.
The judge described how the two convicts “disappeared into the night like cowards” after the crash and then acted with “breathtaking coolness” shortly after it, as they attempted to cover up the crime.
He told them that the duo had “not shown a care in the world for anyone and anything around you”, as they drove rashly through residential streets.
“Your arrogant, selfish and shameless actions put multiple people at risk, including yourselves. Neither of you has a shred of remorse for your involvement that evening,” Metro quoted the judge as saying.
Prosecutor Emma Keogh told the court, “An emergency C-section had to be carried out in an attempt to save the unborn child’s life. The placenta had ruptured and Joseph had bled quite heavily. Her child was born that evening but sadly he only survived for a few hours before passing away.”
How Were Accused Persons Convicted?
The Indian-origin woman was rushed to the hospital from the scene in the evening of September 29, 2024, and an emergency C-section was performed in an attempt to save the life of her son, Olive.
According to a motorist who was travelling in the opposite direction at the accident site, Shahid seemed to increase the speed of his vehicle around 15 metres away from the crossing where he hit the woman, after which she was “thrown into the air for quite some distance”. She tumbled and rolled into his car, a witness said.
