A man has appeared in court charged with causing the death of a King’s College London student who was struck by a van on the Strand. Aalia Mahomed, 20, from Mitcham, died at the scene of the collision on March 18 last year. She was in her second year of a physics and philosophy degree.
Christopher Jackson, 27, of Walton Road, Southampton, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday. He faces charges of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Prosecutor Rachel Darlington said the van collided with a metal gate, knocking it off its hinges, before hitting the bench where Ms Mahomed was sitting.
A man and a woman in their 20s were also seriously injured in the incident. Jackson, who wore a black shirt and trousers, confirmed his identity but was not asked to enter a plea. He was released on conditional bail and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on February 2.
Ms Mahomed’s family paid tribute to her as a “bright, kind and beautiful soul”. Hundreds attended a vigil a week after the crash, and a later memorial saw a plaque unveiled in her honour as her family called for justice.
