Van driver who killed university student sitting on bench is jailed

A van driver who killed a gifted university student after driving into her while she sat on a bench outside King's College London has been jailed for eight years.

Aalia Mahomed, 20, died after being hit by an electric van last March on the Strand in central London.

The student from Mitcham, south London, was in her second year studying physics and philosophy with hopes of being an engineer, and was described by her mother, Samira Shafi, as 'the most amazing daughter'.

The van driver - who had never driven an electric vehicle before - rammed into an iron gate, mounted a flower bed and briefly flew in the air before colliding with Ms Mahomed.

Fellow students Irem Yoldas, 28, and Yamin Belmessous, 24, were injured in the crash.

Christopher Jackson, 27, from Southampton, was jailed for eight years at the Old Bailey last week after previously pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Jackson had been asked by his work to collect the electric vehicle from Bush House in Aldwych, London, and drive them to Southampton, according to the Metropolitan Police.

He proceeded to drive at an 'alarmingly fast speed' towards iron gates that led to the pedestrianised streets of the Strand.

Jackson crashed into the gate, knocking it off its hinges, which fell on top of Ms Yoldas and Mr Belmessous, causing life-changing injuries.

He then drove on to a flower bed before crashing into Ms Mahomed as he fought for control of the car, and stopped just before he rammed into St Mary le Strand church.

Ms Mahomed was thrown for several metres as a result of impact.

Jackson had never driven an electric vehicle before, Judge Philip Katz KC said, and had mistakenly put the car into reverse, leaving him to be 'taken by surprise' while 'pressing and pumping on the accelerator thinking it was the brake'.

A witness described how Jackson drove the van 'with straight arms locked', and that 'it looked like he was fighting the van'.

Ms Mahomed was declared dead at the scene after the six-second-long incident, Fiona Robertson, prosecuting, told the court.

The student's friend, who was with her at the time, confronted the driver and said he 'had no control' and the van 'just took off', the court heard.

Ms Shafi sobbed while reading a statement in court. She said: 'Not a single second has passed without me feeling an unbearable void she has left behind.'

She described going to where her daughter died and mistakenly being told she was fine by a police officer, who had also called her the wrong name.

Ms Shafi found the area cordoned off by police, with other emergency services being present at the scene.

'I kept repeating her name to anyone who would listen,' she said.

'I pleaded with them to let me through but they would not budge.'

Ms Shafi added her 'world changed forever' when she was told the truth, and will 'always be incredibly proud to have been blessed with the most amazing daughter and to have been her mother.'

She told the court: 'The pain of losing a child overnight with no goodbye, no wrongdoing on her part, is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

'I fear I may never be the same person ever again.

'I plead with the court to show this wasn't in vain. I made a final promise to her that I would fight to get her justice.'

The victim's brother Zayn, reading from the eulogy he gave at the funeral, said: 'She was more than my sister, she was my best friend.

'All the dreams I had of her teaching my kids maths as she tried to teach me have been robbed.

'Aalia was a genius, with a smile sharp enough to cut steel.

'She was a hero, she was my hero.'

Ms Mahomed's father Shameer Mahomed had his statement read out by his sister Sara Mohamed, who said 'she was always happy and never said anything bad about anybody'.

He added: 'She was a friend to all of us and we all miss her terribly.'

Jessica Clark, who was defending Jackson, said: 'The picture painted by Mr Jackson's partner, in-laws, friends, work references, paint the picture of, and I do not mean this in a derogatory way, an ordinary man, a worker, a father.

'Who, had it not been for this awful six-second mistake, would have driven that van to Southampton as per his instructions and gone home to his family.'

Judge Katz said he accepted the defendant's remorse was 'immediate and genuine'.

He added: 'You've been a hard working father of three young children, they and your partner will also be impacted by your prison sentence.'

Jackson kept his gaze down as Judge Katz sentenced him to eight years for causing death by dangerous driving, and 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, and would be banned from driving for five years, with the need for a driving re-test.

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Roy Pershad, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Our thoughts remain with all those who knew and loved Aalia Mahomed, as well as with the other victims who were seriously injured.

'This was a catastrophic crash which claimed the life of Aalia, a young woman with her whole future ahead of her, and left two other people with life changing injuries.

'Christopher Jackson drove at an alarmingly fast speed, smashing through iron gates into a pedestrianised area, then striking and tragically killing Aalia as she sat on a bench near her university campus.

'The collision resulted from pedal confusion, and his driving clearly fell far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver.

'We hope today's sentence provides some measure of justice and comfort to Aalia's family and to the other victims, as they continue to grieve and recover.'

Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith, from the Metropolitan Police, said: 'It is almost a year to the day since this terrible incident took place. It should never have happened, and Aalia should still be with us today, surrounded by those who loved her.

'Our thoughts, as always, remain with Aalia's family and friends. Their strength over the past year has been extraordinary.

'We would also like to share our thoughts with the two other victims, whose lives have been forever changed. They continue to show remarkable courage, and we know their lives will never be the same.

'We hope that this case serves as a reminder of the consequences of dangerous driving.'

The money Ms Mahomed had saved for a holiday is going towards the creation of a secondary school in Malawi, East Africa, which will be named after her.