JAILED: Reckless motorist who sped through red light killing soldier
A banned driver who sped through a red light at nearly 70mph and ploughed straight into a soldier's car killing him instantly has been jailed for 10 years,
Kasim Mohammed smashed straight into a car driven by Adam Hancox on the A4123 Wolverhampton Road between Bleakhouse Road and Clent Road in Oldbury.
The 27-year-old, who had been out drinking the night before the crash, then ignored the carnage at the scene and ran off - leaving a seriously injured passenger in his Volkswagen Passat.
However, four witnesses saw Mohammed - who was disqualified from driving at the time - trying to run away and collared him, managing to wrestle him to the ground.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the 'catastrophic' collision was caused by Mohammed's 'obvious and blatant disregard for the rules of the road'.
One witness described seeing Mohammed's Passat 't-bone' Mr Hancox's Ford, according to Mr Kevin Grego, prosecuting.
Mr Hancox, 26, of Pitcairn Road, Smethwick was on sick leave when the crash happened on November 23 last year.
Traffic simulations have worked out the lights at the junction had turned red around six seconds before Mohammed, of Bearwood Road, Smethwick, drove through them - meaning he would have been at least 188m away when they changed from amber to red.
After being arrested close to the scene he twice refused to provide a specimen of breath.
Mr Grego said: "Mohammed showed an obvious and blatant disregard for the rules of the road.
"The driver's compartment of Mr Hancox's car concertinaed into the passenger side of the vehicle.
"His untimely death has left a massive hole in our lives that will never be filled. He will always be remembered and loved by so many.
"Mohammed's VW caught the vehicle pretty well on the middle pillar and there was a catastrophic failure of the Ka because of the weight of the Passat and the speed it was travelling.
"This had similar catastrophic consequences for the driver of that vehicle."
Mohammed's passenger described him driving erratically before the accident.
He was heading towards the McDonald's restaurant in Oldbury from Smethwick, with the passenger describing Mohammed speeding up as he approached the lights 'as if he thought he could beat them'.
CCTV at the side of the road has been used to work out that Mohammed was travelling at a minimum of 69mph when he was just 90m from the junction - but he did not slow down.
The speed limit on the road is 40mph so he was driving at one-and-a-half times the legal limit.
After the crash Mohammed's VW Passat 'rode up' onto the Ford.
Mr Grego said: "An eyewitness then described the car door opening and the driver from the VW clearly having no concern for the occupants of the other car or indeed his own passenger.
"He got out of the vehicle, opened the rear door and was seen to lift an iPad from the vehicle and started to put it into the front of his trousers then he ran off."
Mohammed was spotted by members of the public who managed to detain him at the scene despite his efforts to get away.
Judge Nicholas Webb said the five people involved will all receive a court commendation and £250 for their efforts.
Mr David Crigman QC, defending, drew attention to Mohammed's 'youth and immaturity,' and said his client accepted and regretted responsibility for his actions.
"This is recklessness of the grossest kind but without any intention to cause an accident," he said.
"He knows nothing I can say on his behalf can diminish in any way the pain and anguish that Mr Hancox's family will feel.
"But he hopes perhaps his public recognition for the wrong that he's done, and speaking of his regret publicly, may in time - to however small a degree - reduce it."
Mohammed pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, failing to stop at the scene of an accident, failing to provide a specimen and driving without insurance.
Jailing Mohammed for 10 years, Judge Nicholas Webb said: "On November 23 you killed a man by dangerous driving.
"The man was Adam Hancox, who was a much-loved son, brother and grandson, and a serving soldier.
"Nothing I can say can possibly compensate for the loss which his family and friends feel.
"This was an example of a young man utterly reckless as to the safety of other road users on a road which he must have known has a high mortality rate."
Judge Webb said he believed Mohammed's judgement was 'probably impaired by alcohol'. He also disqualified him from driving for seven years.
