This is the guy who admitted driving carelessly and was told to expect a prison sentence.
This kind of puts a different complexion on the whole thing, though, hence this new thread.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36940&p=409696Taxi driver taking pregnant woman to hospital ran over and killed drunk woman who was lying in the roadhttps://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news ... an-5499124Anis Mohamed was 'anxiously' taking a heavily pregnant woman to Leicester General when the tragedy happenedA pedestrian drunkenly lying in the road was run over and killed by a taxi driver who failed to see her.
Anis Mohamed's barrister described the collision with the minibus cab as almost "a perfect storm" waiting to happen.
Distressing dashcam of the fatal event taking place was shown at Leicester Crown Court.
Mobile phone footage of Natasha Baker moments earlier was also shown, standing in front of another vehicle, an Uber, telling the driver: "I don't care, run me over."
Miss Baker, 37, who had children of her own, suffered fatal injuries and later died at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre.
Mohamed, a 64-year-old granddad, of Humberstone Drive, Leicester, admitted causing Miss Baker's death by careless driving, in the early hours of Saturday January 11 last year.
David Outterside, prosecuting, said: "At around 4.04am the defendant's Vauxhall Vivaro seven-seater drove over the victim who was lying intoxicated in the road.
"Shortly before 4am an ambulance driver saw the victim staggering on the footpath in Coleman Road, looking as if she was drunkenly heading home from an evening out.
"An Uber driver also saw her on the footpath but she held up her hands and he slowed, not knowing what she was doing.
"She walked into the road gesturing with her hands telling him to 'go away and turn around'.
"The defendant was behind the Uber, taking a man and his wife - who was 38 weeks pregnant and in considerable pain - to hospital to check if she was going into labour.
"He saw the Uber in front of him with brake lights on and another vehicle, a Citroen, on the opposite side of the road at a standstill."
A passenger in the Citroen heard and filmed the victim saying: "I don't care, run me over, I don't care."
When she lay down on the road, the Uber driver reversed back around the defendant's minibus, to turn around.
Footage from the Citroen's dashcam showed the minibus then accelerate and "shoot forwards," running over her and dragging Miss Baker 11 metres under the vehicle.
Mohamed, who waited at the scene and gave a negative breath test, later told the police he was concentrating on looking at the side of his minibus because he did not want the Uber driver to hit his wing mirror.
He failed to see the victim laying in the road when he drove forwards - despite a four second opportunity to have done so, according to an accident investigator's report.
The court heard that Miss Baker, who lived in the city centre, was drinking in the Fountain pub earlier in the evening - and that was the last time her heartbroken father saw her.
Sentencing, Judge Timothy Spencer QC said: "Miss Baker clearly comes from a close and loving family and the impact of her death has movingly been described in court.
"At the point of the collision she deliberately lay down in the road, effectively blocking traffic.
"Why she did that, no-one knows. It may have been something to do with drinking or even some medical condition."
Addressing Mohamed, he said: "The essence of this case is that you shouldn't have been looking at your side mirror, but at the road ahead.
"As a taxi driver you have an exemplary and impeccable driving record.
"I have read 26 references about you.
"You're a pillar of the community and rarely have I had to sentence such an outstanding member of society - it's a great tragedy it should come to this and it gives me no pleasure."
He said no sentence could attempt to quantify the loss of Miss Baker's life which was "beyond measure."
The judge explained to visibly heartbroken loved ones in the public gallery that the sentencing exercise was an assessment of facts with regard to legal guidelines.
Grahame James, mitigating, said: "He feels profound guilt about this appalling tragedy and takes full responsibility.
"Since this happened there's been a lot of heartache for both families, their extended families and friends
"This was a four second lapse of judgement and there's not a single aggravating feature put forward by the prosecution.
"He's never had a single point on his driving licence or any complaints from customers; he's a completely ordinary gentleman.
"He has a wife, four children and six grandchildren, he's an honest, Godfearing, respectful and well respected man in his community.
Mr James said that taking into account all the circumstances, including the actions of the victim, the incident "in some ways was a perfect storm."
He said: "My client was anxious about a pregnant woman, possibly being in labour, and a car stopped in front of him.
"As Miss Baker's family say, the road should have been better illuminated.
"He didn't see anyone in the road in front of him or he would have stopped."
Of the victim, he said: "It seems no-one had any argument with Miss Baker, no-one confronted her that evening and tragically the family will never have a full explanation as to why this happened."
Mohamed was jailed for two months.
He was banned from driving for one year.
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