Two jailed over fatal 130mph crash in 30 zone

5 hours ago 8

14 minutes ago

Georgie Docker,North Westand

Yunus Mulla,Reporting from Manchester Crown Court

GMP A composite of two mugshots, with, on the left, a man with black hair and a black beard and in the photo on the right, a man with black hair and a moustache and goatee beard.

A driver and passenger who filmed themselves at speeds of over 130mph (209kmh) in a 30mph zone have been jailed over the death of a man their vehicle crashed into.

Uways Hussain and Usmon Mahmood filmed themselves inhaling from a balloon, running red lights and weaving through traffic before hitting 50-year-old Sylvester Abayomi on Manchester's Kingsway.

Hussain was jailed for 11 years and eight months for causing death by dangerous driving, while Mahmood was jailed for 12 years and nine months for aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving.

Greater Manchester Police said the crash was "one of the worst disregards of speeding" the force had seen.

Sentencing at Manchester Crown Court earlier, Judge Nicholas Dean said the crash on 9 March was "wholly unnecessary and entirely avoidable".

He added: "It was a sustained, deliberate and escalating course of highly dangerous conduct over a prolonged period.

Uways Hussain and Usmon Mahmood filmed themselves inhaling from a balloon, running red lights and weaving through traffic

Abayomi had entered Kingsway on a green light before he was fatally struck at around 04:36 GMT by the car 20-year-old Hussain, from Burnage, was driving.

The car, which was owned by Mahmood, had run a red light and was travelling at 139mph (223.7kmh) in the second before impact.

The victim's partner Denise described him as "the most caring soul and gentle person you could ever meet. He had time for everybody and is loved by everyone. Syll will be sadly missed."

GMP Denise, with red hair and a light blue jacket, with her arms around her partner Sylvester Abayomi, wearing a black T-Shirt with white numbers and with sunglasses on his head, in a photo released by the family.

Det Sgt Thomas Johnson said the case was "one of the most extreme cases of dangerous driving we have encountered" and that Hussain and Mahmood's actions had "tragically resulted in the loss of Sylvester's life.

"Our thoughts remain with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time," he said.

"No sentence can ever truly compensate for the loss of a life, but the actions of Hussain and Mahmood show a complete disregard for the safety of others.

"We hope this outcome offers some measure of justice to Sylvester's loved ones. We urge the public to challenge dangerous driving behaviour and report concerns to police."