Driver Imprisoned After Fatal Collision with 12-Year-Old Cyclist

A motorist driving at excessive speed, who caused the death of a 12-year-old boy at a pedestrian crossing, has received a prison sentence. Azaan Khan’s death occurred when his bicycle was struck by a vehicle while he was crossing the A45 Coventry Road in Yardley, Birmingham, during the evening of 8 June last year. Shazad Alam, aged 34, residing on Lowesmoor Road, Birmingham, admitted guilt to the charge of causing death by dangerous driving in a previous court session. On Thursday, at Birmingham Crown Court, Alam received a sentence of eight years and nine months in prison, along with an additional seven-year disqualification from driving. An examination of CCTV recordings by police confirmed that Alam, operating a red BMW M3, was traveling at speeds between 53 and 62mph immediately prior to hitting Azaan on the heavily trafficked road, which has a 40mph limit. Judge Kristina Montgomery stated that the velocity at which Alam was driving was “incompatible with safe usage” and that he had made a “deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road”. Before the collision, the 34-year-old had traversed three traffic lanes, which further obstructed his forward visibility. “The collision was caused because you disregarded the weight of traffic on the road,” the judge commented. Alam had previously faced two driving disqualifications and had accumulated multiple penalty points on his licence, including for exceeding the speed limit by more than 35mph. Judge Montgomery noted that witnesses had reported Alam accelerating before the crossing, appearing “plainly irritated by slow moving traffic ahead” of him. “Your preoccupation with beating slow-moving traffic to your destination caused you to accelerate,” she remarked. The judge acknowledged Alam’s “genuinely remorseful” feelings regarding the pain and suffering he inflicted, but she did not accept his assertion that his driving was not dangerous. “Azaan was a vulnerable road user with a bicycle, which offered no protection against lethal vehicles particularly driven at speed,” Judge Montgomery informed the court. “His parents had to bear witness to attempts to save his life. His death would have been instant.” In a statement of remembrance released via the police, the 12-year-old’s family conveyed that his smile and charisma “would fill any room he was in” and that he had “left an imprint on anyone who was lucky enough to meet him”. “Azaan was our light, our comfort when life becomes too heavy, our warmth when the world felt cold,” the statement declared. “We can only hope that Azaan’s name, his story, will do something and will make people realise that we cannot let this be normal.” Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes of West Midlands Police commented that the event demonstrated the repercussions of operating a vehicle in a “clearly aggressive manner”. “This type of driving is not acceptable on any of our roads. I need all drivers to look at this and other cases and realise the consequences of those split-second decisions they make.” For updates, follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.