A man who was said to have a 'fascination' with 'high powered and fast cars' killed a woman by slamming his Mercedes into her as she crossed the road. Mohammed Chowdhury was sentenced to five years and six months in prison after his manner of driving cost her life.
Ibizugbe Joy Ikponnmwen, 38, was mowed down by the reckless driver on October 25 2021, as a blue Mercedes Benz G63 was seen driving at 'excessive speed' along Alan Turing Way in Manchester at around 9.05pm, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Chowdhury was spotted by witnesses and an off-duty police officer driving recklessly, overtaking cars on the wrong side of the road at speed on a 30mph road and harshly breaking before then accelerating.
The victim was said to have finished a shift at work and was heading for her bus when she was ploughed into by Chowdhury. She had crossed halfway to the central reservation at the Ashton Old Road junction of Alan Turing Way.
Prosecutors say at this point Mrs Ikponnmwen felt it safe to cross but she was struck by the vehicle at high speed and suffered fatal injuries and died that evening. Chowdhury, 22, was said to be reaching speeds of up to 80mph and was on the phone while driving.
Prosecuting, Brian Berlyne told the court reconstruction experts calculated that around 700 metres from the crash site, he was driving at between 79 and 81 mph. He noted that Mrs Ikponnwmen would've been visible and that if he had have braked in time, the crash would've been avoided.
Chowdhury made and received a series of phone calls between 8.51pm and the time of the crash, the court heard, and he was speaking on the phone when he drove into the victim. Judge Clayson argued this would’ve been a ‘distraction’ when driving at ‘excessive speed’.
The 22-year-old remained at the scene and called police but later denied in an interview that his standard of driving was to blame. On March 13, at a pre-trial review hearing, he did plead guilty to the offence of causing death by dangerous driving.
The court heard Chowdhury had a 'fascination’ with ‘high powered and fast cars’ since he was a teenager. He had access to such vehicles, including the Mercedes, through a family business.
Mrs Ikponnmwen's husband told the court in a statement read out that the day she was killed was the day his ‘life ended forever’.
Chowdhury was already under investigation at the time of the crash having been caught driving without insurance 11 days earlier. In mitigation, Mohammed Nawaz KC said Mr Chowdhury ‘expresses his deepest remorse and sympathy’ for the fatal crash.
A report in to Chowdhury confirmed he had ‘below average cognitive ability' and was experiencing post traumatic stress’ following the death of his father in 2020 and from a quad bike accident he suffered from in 2017.
Mr Nawaz referenced Chowdhury's no prior convictions as he wept in the dock throughout the hearing in court.
He said: “His deep sense of regret and remorse and his sense of realisation of what his behaviour has caused was brought home into very sharp focus recently because his sister was injured in a collision, caused by another driver going through red traffic lights.
“She sustained significant injuries. Seeing the suffering has brought home the effects of bad driving.”
Sentencing, Judge Timothy Clayson said: “Expert evidence demonstrates at a point you were travelling at about 80mph in a 30mph limit. The only way to describe your speed on this occasion is grossly excessive.
“You could’ve avoided the collision had you seen Mrs Ikponnmwen when you should’ve done, despite the speed you were going.
“I am bound to conclude you were avoidably distracted, engaging in telephone calls whilst travelling at great speed. You did see her before the crash, but by then, it was too late.
“We have heard a moving victim impact statement from her husband. He has lost his wife. They had been hoping to start a family. She was much-loved, a lady with ability and aspirations, with plans to go into teaching or nursing.
“It seems to me that since passing your (driving) test you've demonstrated a tendency to break motoring laws to avoid the consequences of those breaches of road traffic legislation.
“You’re still young and it is clear you are significantly immature - and that was relevant to your decision to drive as you did.”
Chowdhury must serve half of his sentence of five years and six months in custody and a further half on license. He was disqualified from driving for six years and must take an extended driving test before being able to drive again.
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