Driver Imprisoned Following Fatal Collision with Mother-of-Four

A man has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison after causing the death of a mother-of-four in a head-on collision. Phyllis Willis, 84, died at the scene in Takeley, Essex, in September 2022, after the car she was travelling in was struck by a Range Rover. Chelmsford Crown Court heard that the driver, Naeem Shahani, momentarily lost control of his vehicle, and a “severe overcorrection” caused him to cross the carriageway. The 39-year-old, from Sheppey Road, Dagenham, east London, had been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The court was informed that he was employed to move people’s vehicles between different car parks near London Stansted Airport. However, Judge Christopher Morgan stated that Shahani had received “inadequate” driving training for the role. Mr. Morgan explained that Shahani “oversteered” a customer’s car after clipping a verge on a bend in Parsonage Road. This resulted in him crashing head-on at approximately 45mph (72km/h) with a Mitsubishi driven by Lynn Smith, in which Mrs. Willis was a passenger, on September 26. Addressing the defendant, Mr. Morgan said: “For some reason, you were unable to put the car on a straight and legitimate path.” A victim impact statement, read on behalf of Nigel, one of Mrs. Willis’s four sons, conveyed the family’s devastation due to her “sudden and unexpected death.” Mr. Willis wrote: “Despite being in her mid-80s, our mother was still very active going out most days.” He added: “There are no adequate words of comfort that can take away the pain of what all her family have felt.” The court was told there was no evidence Shahani was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash. Mr. Morgan suggested that the driving error could have been due to Shahani’s “unfamiliarity with this type of car.” The judge also added that Ms. Smith, who is Mrs. Willis’s daughter-in-law, suffered a severe foot injury in the crash that is expected to impede her for life. In mitigation, Peter Hunter described the incident as “the most horrific accident.” He further stated: “For the last two years, [Shahani] has thought about nothing other than what happened to [Mrs Willis] and the horrors.” Shahani was disqualified from driving for a period of six years and two months.