A car crash that killed an eight-year-old boy resulted in the imprisonment of two men.
In July 2020, two motorists in Ashton-under-Lyme, Manchester—Kevin Jones, 36, and Thomas McGrath, 24—were going more than double the legal speed limit on a highway.
Safiullah Asif, a young boy playing with his brother and cousin, crossed the street and was struck by Jones’ black BMW.
Within two days, Safiullah passed away in the hospital.
Jones’ automobile had stopped following the crash, but McGrath’s
A Forensic Collision Reconstruction Report later showed Jones was speeding at around 50mph in the 20mph zone, while McGrath was travelling at an average speed of between 42 and 48mph.
The Manchester Evening News reported that prosecutor Neil Fryman said: “Mr Jones could not have driven at the speed he did when he killed Safiullah without Mr McGrath doing the same speed just in front.
‘Had McGrath been driving sensibly then Mr Jones could not have reached the speed that he did behind McGrath.’
Both men were was jailed for four years eight months for causing death by dangerous driving.
In an appearance Bolton Crown Court today, they were told they will also be disqualified from driving for five years upon their release from prison.
The Sun quoted Safiullah’s father as saying: ‘Myself, my wife and our whole family are very grateful to the police and the Prosecution Service, who have worked hard to get this case to court, and for all the support we have received from our Family Liaison Officer.
‘I want to thank the witnesses who came forward and the community for being a great support.
‘I am content with the sentencing today. We have lost Safiullah and he will never come back but I am pleased that we have finally got some justice.
‘Please can we ask that our privacy is respected so we can grieve for the loss of our son.’
PC Adam Scott of the Specialist Operations Roads Policing Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: ‘First of all, our thoughts remain with the family of Safiullah Latif Asif, who grieve and miss their son every single day.
‘We are pleased with today’s result, and we hope that this goes some way to help Safiullah’s family, knowing that both Jones and McGrath are off the streets and cannot hurt anyone else.
‘This was an extremely serious road traffic collision, and we would urge everyone to adhere to speed limits and behave in a responsible way on the roads.
‘As this case has shown, standards of driving like this result in the loss of lives and in this case, a young boy’s life.’