A court has heard that an electric car which killed a five-year-old boy after surging forward in a London car park was in perfect mechanical condition, with a police expert concluding the incident could only have occurred due to driver error.
The Tragic Incident Near London Bridge
The fatal collision occurred on 25 November 2022 outside a block of flats near London Bridge Station. Fareed Amir, aged five, was walking home from primary school with his mother, Maryam Lemulu, when they stopped to speak to a family friend, Yodit Samuel.
The Old Bailey heard that Ashenafei Demissie, 53, a taxi driver and Ms Samuel's husband, was sitting in his electric Volkswagen ID.4. He offered Fareed, who reportedly called him 'Uncle Ash', a treat from inside the vehicle.
Prosecutor Michael Williams stated the car then suddenly shot forward. It struck both Fareed and Demissie's own 12-year-old son, Raphael, before crashing into five parked cars and coming to a stop.
Forensic Evidence Points to Driver Error
Mark Still, a Senior Forensic Collision Investigator for the Metropolitan Police, provided key testimony to the jury. He explained that his detailed examination of the year-old Volkswagen found no mechanical defects that could have caused the vehicle to move autonomously.
'I was unable to make the car accelerate without driver input,' Mr Still told the court. He confirmed the vehicle could not be put into gear without a foot on the brake and that the braking system was fully operational.
Mr Still said data indicated the car was accelerating at near maximum speed upon impact and there was no evidence of braking. He addressed a common claim in such cases, stating: 'The driver may put their foot on the accelerator assuming it is the brake. The car will start moving but because the driver believes they put their foot on the brake they will push harder trying to make it stop.'
Ongoing Trial and Charges
Fareed Amir was carried to Guy's Hospital by his mother but was pronounced dead from a fractured skull. Raphael Demissie spent a month in hospital after breaking both legs.
Ashenafei Demissie, from Southwark, has pleaded not guilty to charges of causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving. He maintains the electric vehicle moved on its own due to a fault.
The prosecution's expert witness firmly rejected this. 'I concluded that the accelerator was pressed,' Mr Still said. 'The vehicle could not be made to move without input from the driver. The brakes could bring the vehicle to a stop if acceleration had been started.' The trial at the Old Bailey continues.
