Man admits causing death of teenage friends after car ploughed into pedestrians

A man who was due to face trial has admitted causing the death of two teenage friends and seriously injuring two others after a car ploughed into a group of people in Oldbury.

Dhiya Al Maamoury, 56, held his head in his hands at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday as the families of victims Liberty Charris, 16, and 19-year-old Ben Corfield, both from Dudley, passed by the dock after he changed his pleas.

Al Maamoury, from Solihull, was facing trial this week after he pleaded not guilty in March to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Ms Charris and Mr Corfield died after a blue Nissan Skyline hit several pedestrians who were gathered on the A457 Oldbury Road near the junction with Crystal Drive in Oldbury, near Birmingham, at around 11.30pm on November 20 2022.

Two others were also seriously injured in the collision, with Ethan Kilburn suffering a fractured pelvis, foot and right arm while Ebonie Parkes was left with fractured ribs, hips, leg and shoulder and a collapsed lung.

The court room was packed with the families and friends of Ms Charris and Mr Corfield, some of whom cried as Al Maamoury, who looked sombre in the dock, listened to proceedings through an Arabic interpreter.

He spoke only to enter his new pleas and to confirm his name.

While the facts of the case were not opened during the brief hearing, defence counsel Balbir Singh said the period of the defendant’s dangerous driving was “very limited” as he was “coming out of a roundabout and accelerating” just before the collision.

Judge Michael Chambers KC imposed an interim driving ban on Al Maamoury until he is sentenced on November 8.

He was granted bail on the same conditions that were previously put in place – that he live and sleep at his home address and surrender his passport.

Judge Chambers said the case “clearly crosses the custody threshold” but praised the defendant’s “courage” for pleading guilty.

He said: “Your case is being adjourned for sentence on November 8, but you need to keep in touch with your solicitors in case that date changes.

“I order the preparation of a pre-sentence report so those sentencing know all about you and your circumstances.

“It is in your interest to cooperate with the production of that report. You should not be under any illusion over the likely sentence.”

In a tribute released after her death, Ms Charris’s family said: “Liberty, our beautiful baby girl and sister.

“So loved by her family and friends, they were all so proud of the gorgeous young lady you were becoming.

“With your heart of gold, bright blue eyes and beaming smile, your aim in life was to make everyone happy, with your funny accents and loud laugh.

“From the moment you were born we were all so in love with you, you loved life and had an amazing future ahead of you.

“Our hearts are shattered into pieces. Shine bright up there our beautiful girl.”

In a separate tribute issued by the West Midlands force, Mr Corfield’s family said at the time: “What can we say other than Ben was the light of our lives. He was a larger-than-life character with a huge heart that was made of gold.

“Nothing will ever heal the massive hole in our lives – our hearts are broken forever.

“We waited so long for Ben to come along and complete our family, and we feel privileged to have had him as our son and brother for the last 19 years.”