A man has been jailed for eight years after crashing a van into gates near a London university campus and killing a student.Christopher Jackson, 27, from Southampton, previously admitted causing Aalia Mahomed’s death by dangerous driving on 18 March last year.
The Old Bailey was told the 20-year-old student – who was in her second year of a physics and philosophy degree – had been sitting on a bench close to King’s College London’s (KCL) campus in the Strand.
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Aalia Mahomed. Pic: Metropolitan Police/PA
The court heard Jackson was tasked with picking up a van from Bush House, in Aldwych, but he had never driven an electric vehicle before.His van collided with gates near the campus in The Strand, mounted a flower bed, becoming briefly airborne, before hitting Ms Mahomed who was sitting on a bench.
It then came to a stop close to the wall of St Mary-Le-Strand church. The Old Bailey heard that the incident lasted about six seconds.During sentencing, Judge Philip Katz KC, said Jackson had “no experience of driving vans, let alone electric vans”, adding there was a “significant level of irresponsibility in this case”.”It is accepted that you were pressing or pumping on the accelerator, thinking it was the brake,” he explained.
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Jackson’s van crashed through these gates on to a pedestrianised area of The Strand. File pic: PA
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File pic: PA
Jackson previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after two other KCL students, Irem Yoldas and Yamin Belmessous – both in their 20s – suffered life-changing injuries after being hit by the gate.
Samira Shafi, Aalia’s mother, said in a statement: “When you lose a child, you don’t just lose a presence of someone in your life, you lose a part of yourself.”Our beautiful Aalia had her whole life ahead of her, cut so short at the age of 20 with no warning and no goodbyes… the loss on the wider family is also immense.”
Read more from Jattvibe:Man jailed for life for fatal house fireFour arrested over suspected Iranian spyingTwo boys charged over skate park deathJessica Clarke, defending, told the court at an earlier hearing that the case did not involve “excessive speed, alcohol and drugs” but was a “tragic accident”.But during sentencing remarks on Friday, the judge disagreed with that assessment.
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Jackson slumped forward and offered ‘no comment’ when interviewed by police. Pic: Met Police
Judge Katz KC, comparing a driver who might rent a hire car, said: “In my judgement, any careful and competent driver will satisfy themselves that they can drive the car safely before they set off.”The Metropolitan Police said forensic investigators determined the van had no mechanical defects and one of the main causes of the crash was “unintended acceleration, made worse by Jackson’s panic”.
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Judge Philip Katz KC disagreed with the suggestion that this was a ‘tragic accident’
Jackson was seen slumped forward and offered “no comment” when interviewed by officers about the crash. But the judge said he accepted his “remorse was immediate and genuine”.Jackson was also sentenced to three years each for the two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, which will run concurrently.He was told he would serve two-thirds of his sentence before being released on licence. He has been disqualified from driving and will need to pass a retest before returning behind the wheel.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Jattvibe app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
